Global awareness of bycatch in fisheries is increasing. The State of World Fisheries
and Aquaculture 2008 (FAO, 2009a) indicates that over the past few decades, a
public consensus has developed on the view that bycatch can have significant
consequences for populations, food webs and ecosystems. Worldwide, a significant
amount of work is being undertaken to quantify, understand and reduce bycatch.
As part of FAO’s work programme related to bycatch, three studies of tuna
fisheries bycatch have been commissioned: investigations covering the purse seine,
longline and small-scale fisheries. This document presents the results of the work
on small-scale tuna fishery bycatch and the associated issues.