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This report is for the UK commercial fleet and recreational fisheries in the British Indian Ocean Territories (BIOT). Prior to its exit from the European Union the UK in January 2021 the UK’s commercial fleet operated under EU regulations. However for ease of reference both UK EU and UK (BIOT) are presented in this report.
The UK had just one commercial long liner operating in the IOTC Convention area in 2020 of 45 metres overall length. This operated mostly in the south western area of the Indian Ocean on high seas, targeting large pelagic species (blue shark, swordfish and tunas). The UK’s scientific observer programme started in mid-2017 and the first full year of sampling data, covering around 11 percent of fishing days, was reported in 2019. No sampling was carried out in 2020 due to issues around Covid 19. The vessel had also left the area before the end of the year when sampling would have been scheduled to take place. BIOT waters are a no take Marine Protected Area (MPA) to commercial fishing. Diego Garcia and its territorial waters are excluded from the MPA and include a recreational fishery.
The recreational fishery landed 6.5 tonnes of tuna and tuna like species on Diego Garcia in 2020. Principle target tuna species of the industrial fisheries (yellowfin and skipjack tunas, no bigeye were caught) contributed 50.20% of the total catch of tuna and tuna like species of the recreational fishery. Recognising that yellowfin tuna are currently overfished and subject to overfishing in the Indian Ocean and that Resolution 19/01 seeks to address this, the UK have been taking action to reduce the number of yellowfin tuna caught in the recreational fishery and encouraging their live-release. Length frequency data were recorded for a sample of 211 yellowfin tuna from this fishery. The mean length was 79cm. Sharks caught in the recreational fishery are released alive.
Illegal unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing remains one of the greatest threats to the BIOT ecosystem but a range of other threats exist including invasive and pest species, climate change, coastal change, disease, and pollution, included discarded fishing gear such as Fish Aggregating Devices. During 2020 the BIOT Environment Officer continued to take forward the current conservation priorities. In 2020/21 Recommendations of the Scientific Committee and those translated into Resolutions of the Commission have been implemented as appropriate by the BIOT Authorities and are reported.
