Seafood Watch
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Mahi mahi Coryphaena hippurus ©Monterey Bay Aquarium Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala and Peru Surface longline August 15, 2013 Jennifer Hunter, Consulting Researcher Disclaimer Seafood Watch® strives to ensure all our Seafood Reports and the recommendations contained therein are accurate and reflect the most up-to-date evidence available at time of publication. All our reports are peer- reviewed for accuracy and completeness by external scientists with expertise in ecology, fisheries science or aquaculture. Scientific review, however, does not constitute an endorsement of the Seafood Watch program or its recommendations on the part of the reviewing scientists. Seafood Watch is solely responsible for the conclusions reached in this report. We always welcome additional or updated data that can be used for the next revision. Seafood Watch and Seafood Reports are made possible through a grant from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. 2 Final Seafood Recommendation This report covers longline-caught mahi mahi from Guatemala, Costa Rica, Peru and Ecuador. Imports account for more than 95% of the mahi mahi on the US marketplace, and these countries combined account for some 60% of those imports. Guatemala, Costa Rica and Peru all received Avoid designations due to concerns over bycatch of sensitive species and deficiencies in mahi mahi and bycatch management. Ecuador received a Good Alternative rating. Bycatch of sensitive species does occur infrequently, although there is presently a management framework in place to address the fishery impacts on mahi mahi stocks and species of concern. All fisheries in this report are engaged in a Fishery Improvement Project (FIP). Impacts Impacts on Manage- Habitat and Stock Fishery on the Overall other Species ment Ecosystem Stock Rank Lowest scoring species Rank Rank Recommendation (Score) Rank*, Subscore, Score Score Score Score Mahi mahi Guatemala Scalloped Yellow Red Yellow AVOID hammerhead 2.64 1.41 3.16 1.85 Red, 1,1 Mahi mahi Costa Rica Green sea turtle, Leatherback sea turtle, Yellow Red Green AVOID Hawksbill sea turtle, 2.64 1.41 3.87 2.17 Loggerhead sea turtle Red, 1.53,1.53 Mahi mahi Peru Green sea turtle, Hawksbill sea turtle, Yellow Waved Albatross, Red Green AVOID 2.64 Loggerhead sea turtle, 1.41 3.87 2.17 Leatherback sea turtle Red, 1.53,1.53 Mahi mahi Ecuador Green sea turtle, Yellow Hawksbill sea turtle, Yellow Green GOOD ALTERNATIVE 2.64 Loggerhead sea turtle 3 3.87 2.77 Red, 1.92,1.92 Scoring note – scores range from zero to five where zero indicates very poor performance and five indicates the fishing operations have no significant impact. 3 Table of Contents Final Seafood Recommendation ................................................................................................................... 2 Executive Summary ....................................................................................................................................... 4 Analysis ....................................................................................................................................................... 13 Criterion 1: Stock for which you want a recommendation ...................................................................................... 13 Criterion 2: Impacts on other retained and bycatch stocks .................................................................................... 15 Criterion 3: Management effectiveness .................................................................................................................. 27 Criterion 4: Impacts on the habitat and ecosystem ................................................................................................ 34 Overall Recommendation ........................................................................................................................... 36 Acknowledgements ..................................................................................................................................... 37 Appendix A: All Species Included in Assessment ........................................................................................ 45 Appendix B: Review Schedule .................................................................................................................... 47 About Seafood Watch® ............................................................................................................................... 49 Guiding Principles ....................................................................................................................................... 50 4 Executive Summary Mahi mahi (Coryphaena hippurus) is found worldwide in tropical and subtropical waters. This assessment focuses on the mahi mahi fisheries in Ecuador (26% of total imports into the US), Peru (24%), Guatemala (7%) and Costa Rica (3.5%). Imports comprise more than 95% of the mahi mahi on the US market. Mahi mahi destined for export from these countries are landed using surface set longlines and are fished by artisanal vessels (Ecuador, Peru) as well as small- scale semi-industrial (Costa Rica) and medium to large scale industrial (Guatemala) vessels. Mahi mahi is short lived, highly fecund and, hence, is moderately resistant to fishing pressure. Recent analyses of CPUE data suggests that biomass is stable, although quantitative analyses of stock status and fishing mortality rates for this species are lacking. Mahi mahi is a highly seasonal fishery and this species is the primary component of the catch in these fisheries. However, Guatemalan, Costa Rican, Peruvian and Ecuadorian mahi mahi fishers all catch sea turtles with varying frequency. Guatemalan sea turtle fishing mortality attributable to the mahi mahi fishery is entirely unknown, while in Costa Rica there remains much ambiguity around estimates of sea turtle bycatch. Several studies have demonstrated that there is significant interaction between turtles and Peruvian artisanal longline fishers, however mortality rates are generally low. The available data from the Ecuadorian mahi mahi fishery suggests that sea turtles are captured infrequently. In Guatemala mahi mahi are often landed with a variety of shark species. Catch composition data are not available so sharks are presented as a pooled category in this assessment. Silky sharks and scalloped hammerhead sharks are the two most frequently landed species in the commercial Guatemalan shark fishery. Silky sharks in the Eastern Pacific are considered Vulnerable, while scalloped hammerheads are considered Endangered in this region. A recent IATTC assessment concluded that while there are incomplete historical records of silky landings and some uncertainty in the total EPO catch, current fishing mortality levels will likely allow stock size to increase. There is no stock assessment for EPO scalloped hammerheads, although this species has recently been approved for inclusion in CITES Appendix II, which certifies that while this species is not in danger of extinction, it could become imperiled without trade regulation. Peruvian longline fisheries account for much of the observed mortality of adult waved albatrosses, and hooking and entanglement in fishing gear poses a serious risk to the survival of this species. Waved albatrosses are considered critically endangered by the IUCN. Discard rates are unknown for the mahi mahi fisheries in Guatemala, Costa Rica, Peru and Ecuador. Small-scale operators, like those in Costa Rica, Ecuador and Peru, typically have low discards, as artisanal fishers are able to utilize most of the incidental catch. The discard rate in the Guatemalan mahi mahi fishery is also low. While industrial vessels typically have relatively 5 high discard rates, the majority of incidentally captured fish in Guatemala is retained for sale in the domestic market. Recently, a management plan for the Ecuadorian mahi mahi fishery has been adopted, and includes comprehensive policies regarding catch parameters, bycatch mitigation, scientific oversight and enforcement. This plan is very encouraging, but its efficacy remains to be seen. In Peru, the mahi mahi fishery has been the subject of an assessment carried out by an NGO, but the conclusions of this report and any governmental review are unavailable, although there are some existing minimum size limitations. In Costa Rica, there is no management plan in place, although some measures have been undertaken, with mixed results, to reduce sea turtle bycatch. In Guatemala, there is no management plan in place. There do not appear to be any plans to pursue research into the state of the stock, nor to monitor the impacts of this fishery on mahi mahi populations. All of the mahi mahi imported to the United States from Guatemala, Costa Rica, Peru and Ecuador is caught using surface-set longlines, which do not touch the bottom substrate, therefore, no gear mitigation is necessary. Apex predators (sharks) are captured and generally retained in the mahi mahi fisheries of Costa Rica, Peru and Ecuador, but do not comprise a significant proportion of the catch during the austral summer months when the majority of mahi mahi are landed. In Guatemala, mahi mahi are both targeted directly and incidentally caught in the Pacific shark fishery. A number of sensitive species are captured in this fishery, and the fishery likely constitutes a significant source of mortality for these species in Guatemalan waters. Sharks are utilized domestically for meat, oil, leather and fins are exported to Asia. All fisheries in this report are