Anchored FADs: relevance of the use and overall impact on juvenile tuna and the environment

The main objective of this specific contract was to provide the European Commission with information on the tuna fisheries using anchored FADs by mapping their distribution globally and with specific focus on the Indian Ocean; studying the potential impacts of these fisheries on the behaviour of tuna and where possible quantifying their impact on tuna juveniles; characterising the social-economic dimension of these fisheries and evaluating the extent anchored FADs are contributing to non-tuna targeted fisheries.. 

Specific Objectives/Tasks: completed included:

1. Global mapping of the use of Anchored Fish Aggregating Devices (AFADs).
2. Characterisation of fisheries using AFADs in the Indian Ocean.
3. Qualitative assessment of the potential impact of AFADs on target and non-target species in the Indian Ocean.
4. Review of the environmental impacts of AFADs. 
5. Review of existing measures covering AFADs at IOTC level.
6. Recommendations on possible additional measures.