Discards:

Definition: The term Annual catches refers to highly aggregated statistics for each species estimated per fleet, gear and year for a large area (IOTC Area). 
These include: Retained and Discarded catches.

• Discards: Refers to the part of the bycatch that is not retained on board, expressed in number and/or live weight. It includes:
  • The catches of specimens that are discarded dead due to them not having commercial value: non-commercial species, fish of small size, fish in poor condition, etc.
  • The catches of specimens that are discarded dead due to other reasons: not enough storage on board, gear breakdown, etc.

 IOTC Form: Form 1DI

Structure of the form:

ReadMe: links to all code lists required for filling-up the forms.

DI: The main form to input the discard data

 General Information:

·         Reporting Source: details about the individual reporting the information and the Institution responsible for the report.

a.       Contact name: Name of the individual reporting the information

b.      Contact e-mail address: E-mail of the individual reporting the information

c.       Contact phone: Phone number of the individual reporting the information

d.      Organization name: Name of the organization responsible for the report

e.       Organization e-mail address: E-mail of the organization responsible for the report

·         Dataset:  General information about the dataset reported.

a.       Reporting Country: The country reporting the discards (code list: FLG)

b.      Flag Country: The country for which discards are reported (code list: FLG)

c.       Year: The calendar year the discards were made

d.      Quarter: The standard calendar quarter of the year the catches were made

e.       Catch units:  Discard levels may be reported in number or in weight, depending on the species:

                                            i.             The discards of IOTC Species, sharks (excluding whale sharks) and other fish species should be reported by species, if possible, in live weight (otherwise in number)

                                          ii.             The discards of seabirds, marine turtles, whale sharks and sea mammals should be reported in number, if possible, by species

Data:

·         Type of Fishery: The type of fishery for which discard levels are reported (code list: FIS)

·         IOTC Area: The IOTC Area in which the specimens were discarded (code list: ARE)

·         Target species: Main species targeted by the fisheries (code list: SPC)

·         Data Processing: The type of estimation procedure (code list: DPR)

·         Data Sources: The types of information that were used for the estimation of discard levels for the fishery concerned (Code list: DSO)

·        Coverage: The proportion of the total discards that were monitored (sampled, in number or weight) for the fishery concerned (code list: COV).

·         Discard condition:  The condition of fish when discard (code list: CON).

·         Type of Sample: The type of sample for the catch reported (code list: COD).

·         Reason for discard: the reason why the catch was rejected (code list: REA).

·        Discard levels by species: discard levels for each species in live weight or number by flag, type of fishery and IOTC Area. (Code list: SPC)