Chapter 1

Introduction

Welcome to the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation’s sustainability review for observers on purse seine tuna vessels. Our goal is to provide an overview of the skills necessary for effective observing, particularly as they pertain to sustainable fishing practices.

Effective observer coverage is one of the ISSF Conservation Measures, which calls for 100 percent observer coverage for purse seine vessels that fish for tropical tunas. We will also summarize the rest of the related ISSF Conservation Measures for the management of tropical tuna and bycatch species that vessels are to follow if they intend to sell to ISSF Participating Companies.