FAD management is an issue of common interest to tuna fisheries and is becoming increasingly important for the tropical tuna fisheries in general. As a response, some tuna RFMOs have created specific FAD Working Groups, which promote addressing issues related to tuna FAD fishing. During the last meeting of the Kobe process Steering Committee, it was also noted that the European Union offered to finance a joint tuna-RFMO meeting and that some additional funding could be obtained from the FAO ABNJ Tuna Project. Accordingly, during 2016, the tuna-RFMO Secretariats held discussions regarding the possibility of holding a joint tuna RFMO meeting on FAD fishing issues, sometime in 2017. An agreement was reached between ICCAT, IOTC and IATTC to hold the First Joint Tuna-RFMO FAD Working Group meeting in Madrid, 19-21 April 2017. It should be noted that WPCFC decided not to participate in this process.

The First Joint Tuna-RFMO FAD Working Group meeting aimed to conduct a cross-cutting exercise between all stakeholders by covering a wide range of topics related to tuna FAD fisheries and promoting discussions regarding tuna FAD fisheries management among the three t-RFMOs.The meeting report is available here

The Second Joint Tuna-RFMO FAD Working Group meeting was hosted by the IATTC in San Diego, California, from 8-10 May 2019. The meeting focused on research of FAD impacts, definitions and FAD monitoring. Current Tuna-RFMOs' FAD management strategies were also reviewed as well as the progress in key areas of action, as defined during the First meeting. The meeting report is available here. (Fra) (Esp)