Welcome to the International Fishers' Forum website.

Mission Statement

The mission of the International Fishers Forum series is to convene an international meeting of fishermen; management authorities; seafood retailer industry; experts in fishing technology, marine ecology and fisheries science; and other interested parties to facilitate the sharing of information and experiences on: (i) sustainable fishery practices; and (ii) approaches to minimize problematic interactions with sea turtles, seabirds, sharks and cetaceans in fisheries.

The program at each Forum typically includes the following activities to achieve its mission:

• Review

o    Commitments and progress since the previous International Fishers Forum;

o    Status of longline and other fisheries with protected species interactions;

o    Inter-governmental organization initiatives to achieve sustainable and environmentally responsible longline fisheries; and

o    Knowledge for reducing seabird and sea turtle bycatch, unwanted shark bycatch, and shark and cetacean depredation in pelagic and demersal longline gear, and other fishing gears.

• Share

o    Experiences of effective approaches to reduce fisheries bycatch and depredation;

o    Progress and actions to address IUU fishing and initiate and expand observer programs;

o    Anticipated effects of climate change outcomes on pelagic ecosystems and pelagic fisheries; and

o    Industry initiatives and market perspectives to promote sustainable fisheries.

• Identify

o    Effective and collaborative approaches to reduce problematic seabird, sea turtle, shark and cetacean interactions in longline and other fisheries;

o    Constructive roles for fishers, inter-governmental organizations (including Regional Fishery Management Organizations and other Regional Fishery Bodies), and environmental non-governmental organizations to reduce fisheries bycatch and depredation, and manage tuna, billfish, mahi-mahi, shark and other pelagic target species; and

o    Actions by artisanal and industrial fleets to achieve sustainable and environmentally responsible fisheries.

The Fourth International Fishers Forum (IFF4) was held in Puntarenas, Costa Rica in November 12-14, 2007.  IFF4 was hosted by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council together with the Instituto Costarricense de Pesca y Aceuicultura (Costa Rica Fisheries and Aquaculture Institute, INCOPESCA), and was supported by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), Royal Caribbean International, Hawaii Longline Association, Avina Foundation, and Japan Overseas Fishery Cooperation Foundation.

IFF4 continued the focus of previous Forums on solving the incidental capture of seabirds and sea turtles in longline fisheries.  In addition, IFF4 addressed bycatch management of two additional species groups, sharks and cetaceans, and approaches to mainstream bycatch avoidance strategies through commercially viable and equitable regulatory methods.  The aim of IFF4 was to motivate fishers and industry to recognize and find effective and practical ways to address these issues and to further promote responsible longline fisheries. 

Press Release: Fishermen Commit to Responsible Fishing Practices (November 14, 2007)
English
Date Added: 08 Jan 2010

Second International Fishers' Forum

The Second International Fishers' Forum was held in Honolulu, Hawaii in November 2002.

First International Fishers' Forum

The First International Fishers' Forum - Solving the Incidental Capture of Seabirds in Longline Fisheries was held in Auckland, New Zealand in November 2000. This four day meeting was attended by fishers, gear technologists, researchers and government officials. The purpose of the forum was to exchange ideas and information on measures being used or developed around the world to reduce capture of seabirds on longlines. This information exchange will lead to a more co-ordinated response to this environmental issue and accelerate progress in solving this problem globally.