International trade in vulnerable marine species is regulated once they are listed in CITES Appendices (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). Parties to the Convention submit proposal(s) 150 days prior to the CITES Conference for voting on the inclusion of new species in Appendices I and II, making a case for why CITES listing criteria are met in each case. Before the vote, Parties receive advice from (a) the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, (b) the International Union for Conservation of Nature-TRAFFIC and (c) the CITES Secretariat, among others. This paper offers an expert review of listing processes, which are the subject of much debate in fishery and environment-protection communities, looking at two specific cases: silky shark (Carcharhinus falciformis, Carcharhinidae) and bigeye thresher shark (Alopias superciliosus, Alopiidae). The reviewers determine that the evidence made available to voting Parties is substantial, but suffers from non-standard presentation across assessments. The best available data are not always presented or described transparently in relation to CITES criteria. An extension of the assessment period, as well as the opportunity to refute evidence, has been suggested as ways to support more informed and effective decision-making by CITES Parties, whose composition of delegations varies greatly in their experience of marine species management and trade. Experts welcomed a greater coherence of advice between fishery and non-fishery sources in the long term, and proposed a range of suggested improvements for the delivery of information and advice to CITES Parties.

In an effort to increase purse seine fishing efficiency for tropical tunas, over 30,000 drifting Fish Aggregating Devices (dFADs) are deployed every year by fishers in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO). The use of dFADs also impacts ecosystems, in particular through marine pollution and dFAD beaching. This paper presents the first estimate of dFAD beaching events in the WCPO (>1300 in 2016-2017) and their distribution. Lagrangian simulations of virtual dFADs, released subject to contrasting deployment distributions, help us determine the relative importance of operational versus environmental drivers of dFADs drifting to beaching areas. The highest levels of beaching, occurring on Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands, are likely a result of the prevailing westward oceanic circulation and subsequent local processes driving dFADs towards land. Similarly, high beaching rates in Tuvalu appear to be due to the general circulation of the WCPO. In contrast, beaching in Kiribati Gilbert Islands appear to be more strongly related to dFAD deployment strategy. These findings indicate that reducing beaching events via changes in deployment locations may be difficult. As such, management approaches combining dFAD deployment limits, the use of biodegradable dFADs, recoveries at-sea close to sensitive areas and/or beached dFAD removal should be considered.

Electronic monitoring (EM) consisting of on-board video imagery and on-shore analysis, offers an alternative or supplement to at-sea observer programs in commercial fisheries. In the western and central Pacific Ocean (WCPO), where observer coverage in most tuna longline fisheries has historically been < 5%, the advent of EM has been perceived as a tool for meeting international data collection and exchange obligations. However, the capability of EM to collect and support interpretation of records into data for all fields currently collected by at-sea observers is still under assessment. We use the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) as a case-study to evaluate the longline WCPFC regional observer programme minimum standard data fields, their current scientific application, the proportion of member countries exchanging data and the capability of EM technology to collect these fields. We identify that 78% of the longline fields can be collected with current EM technology, with 84% of these used in scientific analyses. For the 16% of fields not routinely used in scientific analyses, the introduction of EM may facilitate a sufficient increase in data availability to support their future use. Alternative tools would be required to collect fields that EM could not record to ensure data continuity and scientific rigour are not compromised. In examining the capability of EM in the context of WCPFC member state requirements under international law, we advocate for a holistic and integrated approach to the use of EM in future research and monitoring programs in both the WCPO and global longline fisheries.

With constant innovation to find more efficient ways to find, catch and process fish, catchability in wild fisheries can increase. Catchability is a combination of resource abundance, fishing effort and fishing efficiency: any increase in fleet efficiency can lead to undesirable effects not only on stocks, but also on the ability to assess them. When using effort controls as part of management, it is necessary to adjust for the increase in catchability due to the increases in efficiency over time to avoid stock depletion. Accounting for changes in catchability can be problematic for pelagic stocks, due to the changes in fishing behaviour and the continual change in fishing efficiency. This study investigates the success in finding patches of fish for fleets operating within the western and central Pacific purse seine fishery between 1993 and 2012. Three indices, widely used in ecological research, were used to study how spatial variation in fisher behaviour for sets on fish aggregating devices (FADs) and free-school sets was related to catchability. For free-school set types, the diversity index was negatively correlated with Katsuwonus pelamis catchability. When this index was low, catch rates were at their highest and there was a reduction in the area fished. In contrast, for FAD sets, catches increase when the patchiness index was low, implying a degree of random behaviour, potentially due to advances in FAD technology. An improved understanding of the spatial allocation of effort can improve catchability estimates widely used for fisheries stock assessments and in indices of global biodiversity.

Torpedo trevally, Megalaspis cordyla and needle scaled queenfish, Scomberoides tol are important fishery resource in the northern Arabian Sea coast of Pakistan. This study on population characteristics and dynamics of both fishes will provide data for developing strategy for its conservation. Fish were sampled from commercial vessels operated in the Pakistan coasts between July 2013 and June 2014. The samples included 293 trevally scad, M. cordyla, and 353 needle scaled queenfish, S. tol. The sex ratio of M. cordyla was female biased with 175 females (59.73%) and 118 males (40.27%), this sex difference was not statistically significant (chi(2)=11.088, df=1, P= <0.05). The sex ratio of S. tol was also female biased with 222 females (62.9%) and 131 males (37.1%) sampled, but this difference was also not statistically significant (chi(2)=23.46, df=1, P= <0.05). von Bertalanffy growth function estimated for M. cordyla was L-t= 48.3TL(cm) [1-e-0.73(t - 0.148)] and for S. tol L-t = 70.3TL(cm) [1 - e - 0.37 (t - 0.152)]. The natural, fishing and total mortalities were estimated for M. cordyla at 1.23, 1.38, 2.62 and for S. tol 0.71, 1.86, 2.58. The biological reference points (BRP) F-opt, F-limit were estimated to determine appropriate management measures for sustainable utilization of these species. Biological reference points estimates and current catch statistics indicates that these stocks have been fished below the level that would support MSY.