Section 202(h)(1) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) calls on the Secretary of State, in cooperation with the Secretary of Commerce, to seek to secure international agreements to establish standards and measures for bycatch reduction that are comparable to the standards and measures applicable to U.S. fishermen if they conclude that it is necessary and appropriate. Similar provisions are contained in both the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) and the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

MSA Section 202(h)(3) requires that the Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with the Secretary of State, submit an annual report to Congress describing actions taken under Section 202(h). In the September 2000 Annual Report to Congress on International Bycatch Reduction Agreements, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) concluded, and the Department of State concurred, that seeking international agreements with foreign nations conducting pelagic longline fishing operations for Atlantic and Pacific highly migratory species was necessary to protect endangered and threatened sea turtles. An international strategy, referred to as the Course of Action to Promote International Agreements that Address the Need to Reduce Sea Turtle Bycatch in Foreign Longline Fisheries, was subsequently developed to address this issue and detailed in the June 2001 Report to Congress on International Bycatch Reduction Agreements.

In January 2002, the International Bycatch Reduction Task Force was convened to develop a Plan of Action to implement the sea turtle bycatch strategy. This Task Force was made up of Agency and Department of State personnel. Although the initial focus of this group was to further discussions and ultimately the reduction of sea turtle bycatch in longline fisheries internationally, the issues of incidental catch of seabirds in longline fisheries and the conservation and management of sharks were quickly added to the work of the Task Force.

An Action Plan was subsequently developed by the Task Force to: 1) implement the strategy to promote international agreements that reduce sea turtle bycatch in foreign longline fisheries; and 2) promote the implementation of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) International Plan of Action (IPOA) for Reducing Incidental Catch of Seabirds in Longline Fisheries and the FAO IPOA for the Conservation and Management of Sharks. The Task Force Action Plan is attached as Appendix 1.

The current National Bycatch Strategy is based on the 1998 NOAA Fisheries report, Managing the Nation’s Bycatch, which contains the Agency’s national bycatch goal, “to implement conservation and management measures for living marine resources that will minimize, to the extent practicable, bycatch and the mortality of bycatch that cannot be avoided.” Section V of the National Bycatch Strategy calls for the utilization of existing partnerships and development of new international approaches to reduce bycatch of living marine resources including fish stocks, sea turtles, marine mammals, and migratory birds, where appropriate.

The objectives identified in Section V of National Bycatch Strategy include: examination of international approaches to reduce bycatch of living marine resources extending beyond U.S. waters; examination of international agreements for potential broadening and for progress in implementation; examination of regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs) and other fora for effectiveness of bycatch provisions. The International Bycatch Reduction Task Force will be the lead body in on-going efforts to achieve these goals. The National Bycatch Strategy is attached as Appendix 2.

The Task Force Plan of Action outlines steps to be taken in implementing the U.S. strategy for international bycatch reduction. These tasks are broken up into two categories: international sea turtle workshops, and international communications relating to sea turtles, sharks and seabirds.

1. International Sea Turtle Workshops: Task Force members engaged in a number of activities in support of international sea turtle workshops during the past year. Such activities included:
   1. Convening and participating in a steering committee to guide the planning and execution of the NMFS-sponsored international technical workshop on sea turtle bycatch in longline fisheries during February 2003. Activities of this group included: identification of workshop date and venue; consideration of financial aspects; development of agenda and identification of desired outcomes; identification of the data/technical specifications necessary for the workshop and materials to be provided to attendees in advance; identification of desired speakers/attendees; and reporting.
   2. Participation in an October 2002, in-house workshop during which NMFS staff reviewed the preliminary results of on-going research relating to the reduction of sea turtle bycatch in longline fisheries.
   3. Participation in the Second International Fisherman’s Forum (IFF2) in November 2002. Task Force members provided staff support and presented the results of the October 2002 in-house workshop relating to on-going sea turtle research. Seabird bycatch issues (first discussed at IFF1) were also followed up on at this meeting.
   4. Attendance, staff support, and reporting at NMFS-sponsored international technical workshop on sea turtle bycatch in longline fisheries held in Seattle, Washington, during February 2003. This workshop:
      1) examined global and seasonal fleet distributions and effort; 2) compared different gear configurations; 3) looked at target species; 4) compared existing regulatory regimes; and 5) reviewed on-going bycatch reduction research. The Executive Summary of this workshop is attached as Appendix 3. The final report of this workshop will soon be available on the NMFS website.
   5. Participation in initial discussions and planning for an inter-disciplinary workshop that NMFS may co-sponsor with the International Center for Living Aquatic Marine Resource Management (ICLARM). Possible objectives for this workshop include: 1) identification of the types of international institutions required to conserve and manage Pacific sea turtles; 2) development of pan-Pacific comprehensive policy options; development of a pan-Pacific model framework treaty and call for negotiations; and 3) development of a multi-disciplinary and multilateral sea turtle research agenda for the future.

2. International Communications Relating to Sea Turtles, Sharks and Seabirds: Task Force members participated in the drafting and transmission of the following diplomatic cables to flag states with significant longline fleets (and Taiwan).
   1. A diplomatic demarche (cable) relating to sea turtles was sent that emphasized the international nature of the sea turtle bycatch problem in longline fisheries, described steps that the United States is taking to address it, and requested that recipients provide information relative to sea turtle bycatch in longline fisheries. The demarche announced the date and location of the International Longline Sea Turtle Bycatch Technical Workshop, which was promoted as the forum for the consideration of the sea turtle bycatch information requested. The sea turtle demarche cable is attached as Appendix 4.
   2. A diplomatic demarche cable was sent to flag states with significant longline fleets (and Taiwan) that requested information on the status of implementing the FAO IPOA Relating to the Conservation and Management of Sharks. In this communication, the United States encouraged: development and implementation of a National Plan of Action for Sharks to promote the conservation and management of sharks and call attention to the international issue of shark finning. Additionally, the United States committed to provide information on topics relating to the shark IPOA, including information that may be of use to states developing a National Plan of Action (NPOA) for Sharks. This communication also provided an overview of the U.S. Shark Finning Prohibition Act. The shark demarche cable is attached as Appendix 5.
   3. A diplomatic demarche cable was sent to flag states with significant longline fleets (and Taiwan) that requested information on the status of implementing the FAO IPOAs for Seabirds. In this communication, the United States encouraged: development and implementation of a National Plans of Action for Seabirds to promote the reduction of incidental catch of seabirds in longline fisheries where it occurs. Additionally, the United States committed to provide information on topics relating to the seabird IPOA, including information that may be of use to states developing a National Plan of Action (NPOA) for Seabirds. The seabird demarche cable is attached as Appendix 6.
   4. Throughout the last year, the United States has used current and new regional fishery management organizations and existing bilateral relationships to call attention to the international problems of sea turtle bycatch and incidental catch of seabirds and sharks in longline fisheries. The United States continues to promote international cooperative efforts to collect standardized information on the incidence of sea turtle bycatch in longline fisheries and is promoting the technical workshop as one forum to receive and consider such information.

3. Other Task Force Activities:

   In addition to tasks specifically associated with the Task Force Action Plan, members of the Task Force participated in the following activities:

   1. Preparations, execution and reporting of the first Meeting of Parties of the Inter-American Sea Turtle Convention.
   2. Successful efforts to gain a commitment during the 2003 FAO Committee on Fisheries to hold a technical workshop on sea turtles during early 2004. A subgroup that includes Task Force members has been convened to assist in U.S. preparations for this technical workshop. The Terms of Reference for this workshop are attached as Appendix 7.
   3. An on-going project in the APEC Fisheries Working Group that focuses on regional implementation of the FAO Shark IPOA. Task Force members assisted in the planning and execution of the December 2002, APEC FWG Shark Workshop, which produced recommendations on steps to: reduce waste of sharks, improve data collection, improve national and regional management, and better implement the FAO IPOA on Sharks.
   4. Task Force members from NMFS and the Department of State coordinated to successfully apply for fiscal 2002 OES Initiative funding from the Department of State. These funds were used to support work associated with the Meeting of Parties to the Inter-American Sea Turtle Convention and the APEC FWG Shark Workshop.
   5. A number of Task Force members also participate as members of Interagency Seabird Working Group, which works to increase coordination and collaboration between Government agencies involved in implementation of the U.S. National Plan of Action for Seabirds. A detailed summary of other seabird bycatch activities is attached as Appendix 8.

The International Bycatch Reduction Task Force will continue its efforts during 2003 to implement its Plan of Action by using every opportunity at the bilateral, regional, and global levels to promote the reduction and elimination of sea turtle bycatch in longline fishing gear and implementation of the FAO IPOAs on Seabirds and Sharks. Given the completed status of many of the tasks found in the current Action Plan, it will be necessary to update this document in the near future to reflect on-going and new U.S. priorities relating to international bycatch.