Statistics of the purse seine fleets of France’s overseas territories targeting tropical tunas in the Indian Ocean

Statistical data for the France’s Overseas Territories (FRAT) purse seine fleet have been collected by the “Institut de Recherche pour le D ́eveloppement” (IRD) since 2001. Purse seiners registered in the harbour of Dzaoudzi, Mayotte, belong to the EU purse seine fleet of the Indian Ocean and data collection and processing are similar to the ones used for the French component of the fleet. Tropical tuna purse seiners target yellowfin (Thunnus albacares), skipjack (Katsuwonus pelamis), and bigeye tuna (Thunnus obe- sus) through two major fishing modes that result in different species and size composition of the catch:
fish-aggregating device-associated (FAD) and free-swimming schools (FSC). Here, the acronym ”FAD” encompasses any type of drifting floating object to which tuna schools can associate. This definition includes ”natural” objects (e.g. logs, palm branches) and anthropogenic floating objects, such as man- made bamboo rafts equipped with radio-range beacons, satellite transmitters and scanning sonars. The fleet activities are described through a suite of fisheries indicators that provide information on fishing capacity and effort, catch, and catch rates for the 3 principal market tropical tunas, with a particular focus on the year 2012.