The Bycatch Management Information System (BMIS) focuses on bycatch mitigation and management in oceanic tuna and billfish fisheries*. It is an open resource useful for fishery managers, fishers, scientists, observers, educators and anyone with an interest in fisheries management. As a reference and educational tool, the BMIS aims to support the adoption and implementation of science-based management measures so that bycatch is managed comprehensively and sustainably. The BMIS is concerned with highly migratory species with low reproductive rates, including seabirds, sharks and rays, sea turtles and marine mammals.
In the BMIS you can search for information about aspects of bycatch management in the following areas:
Under ‘Management’, the BMIS presents a broad range of material that provides context and rationale for developing bycatch conservation and management measures, e.g., bycatch interaction rates, threats, data harmonisation, fisheries management performance, maps and tagging studies. The 'Population-Level Assessments' (PLA) section includes studies that describe the status of bycatch populations. BMIS descriptions of 'Mitigation Techniques' summarize their performance and refinement in experimental situations. ‘References’ is the entry point for searching all literature in the database, i.e., scientific and technical literature on bycatch mitigation and management. The ‘Regulations’ section covers the decisions, such as conservation measures and resolutions, of the five tuna Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs). Regulations are included if they encourage or require the use of any of the BMIS mitigation techniques. In keeping with the global focus of the BMIS, the website includes pages dedicated to each tuna RFMO.
The BMIS also holds information on Species Identification and Safe Handling and Release, including illustrated guides. In addition, it describes the Fishing Gear used in oceanic tuna and billfish fisheries. An overview of bycatch species groups is included under the Species tab. Under the Resources tab you will find links to other Bycatch Databases and bycatch organisations.
BMIS content is continually updated. We welcome any feedback, including errors, omissions, new ideas or appropriate reference material and can be contacted at [email protected].
*Note that the BMIS focuses predominantly on longline, purse seine and gillnet fishing. The BMIS does not deal with traps, trawls, dredges, surrounding net fishing gear, nor recreational fisheries. While it concentrates on oceanic fisheries, information in the BMIS is sometimes applicable to nearshore fisheries, e.g., circle hooks are useful in both.
BYCATCH SPECIES DATA LINK (superseded)