The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) is a global coalition of scientists, the tuna industry and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) the worlds leading conservation organization promoting science-based initiatives for the long-term conservation and sustainable use of tuna stocks, reducing bycatch and promoting ecosystem health. We have coordinated in-kind contributions from vessel owners, equipment manufacturers for FAD research, and electronic monitoring pilots (IUU). ISSF is multi-million dollar organization; various amounts are allocated to different initiatives. To learn more, visithttps://iss-foundation.org/.

Among ISSFs many tuna and ocean conservation as well as seafood sustainability activities, were highlighting four here: (1) scientific research, including at sea, and technical reports; (2) anti-illegal, unregulated & unreported fishing (IUU) efforts; (3) tuna skippers workshops; and (4) biodegradable FAD design and testing.

(1) ISSF scientists and colleagues publish original ISSF marine-science and tuna-fishing research reports yearly, covering a range of topics; nearly 20 were published in 2016. One of our signature annual reports is the Status of the World Fisheries for Tunareport, which includes scientific assessments of 23 commercial tuna stocks worldwide, evaluates RFMO management effectiveness, and ranks tuna stocks based on Abundance, Exploitation/Management (i.e., fishing mortality), and Environmental Impact (i.e., bycatch) (http://iss-foundation.org/about-tuna/status-of-the-stocks/) View ISSF technical reports at http://iss-foundation.org/knowledge-tools/technical-and-meeting-reports/.

(2) To combat IUU, ISSF develops conservation measures that its participating tuna companies which represent about 75% of the global canned tuna market -- commit to comply with and be audited on, including (but not only) measures on not purchasing tuna from vessels that are not flagged to the relevant RFMO member or cooperating non-member or are on a tuna RFMO IUU list. (Read about our conservation measures at http://iss-foundation.org/knowledge-tools/publications-presentations/conservation-measures-commitments/.) In addition, weve helped make the use of IMO numbers permanent, unique vessel identifiers a more standard practice. We've supported pilots of electronic monitoring technology, which can help to detect IUU. We also created the ProActive Vessel Register database, which tracks how/if vessels are following best practices in tuna fishing; advocate for stronger RFMO governance; promote observer coverage, electronic monitoring and reporting, and other monitoring, control, and surveillance (MCS) tools.

(3) ISSF Skippers Workshops (http://iss-foundation.org/2016-issf-interactive-annual-report/#&panel1-19) bring skippers and other vessel crew/representatives together with marine scientists to share information and ideas. Workshops focus on handling-and-release techniques crew can use to mitigate bycatch of sharks, turtle, and other species in their fisheries. Offered at ports worldwide, ISSF workshops to date have reached more than 2,200 participants, and new locations (Portugal, China, Vietnam) were added in 2016.

(4) One 2016 skippers workshop focused on brainstorming designs for fish aggregating devices (FADs) made from natural, biodegradable materials, such as balsa and bamboo. Traditional FADs are made from durable materials like plastic, and they can damage reefs and pollute oceans. ISSF BFAD prototypes now are being tested at sea by tuna fleets. See http://iss-foundation.org/knowledge-tools/technical-and-meeting-reports/download-info/issf-2016-18a-workshop-on-the-use-of-biodegradable-fish-aggregating-devices-fad/ and http://marinesciencetoday.com/2017/05/02/designs-that-reduce-maritime-debris-from-fishing-devices-evolve-faster-when-fishing-masters-and-scientists-collaborate/ to learn more.