Global Mahi

SR participants played a key role in establishing COREMAHI, a group of mahi processors and producers in Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Peru, the principal exporters of mahi in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. COREMAHI coordinates regional actions to promote the sustainability of mahi fisheries in the region through better science and responsible management. 

Currently, 50 percent of global mahi volume is considered sustainable or improving, and an additional 15 percent of global production could achieve the sustainable or improving categories via engagement through the Global Mahi SR. 

Mahi-mahi, also known as dolphinfish, is found in tropic and subtropic waters worldwide.  It is a migratory pelagic species that is highly resilient to fishing, due to its rapid growth and early maturation. However, many regions of the world have reached maximum levels of capture and are seeing decreases in levels of production. 

Most mahi-mahi production comes from artisanal fisheries and is an important source of income for fishers. These fisheries have specific management challenges related to stock structure; monitoring, control, and surveillance; and data recording and reporting. Mahi-mahi fisheries also face a lack of national and regional management measures, low observer coverage, and interaction problems with sea turtles and sharks.

For 2021-2022, SFP has advised the Supply Chain Roundtable participants of the following improvement needs:

1. Formalizing unregulated fleets to contribute to ending illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
2. Identifying the stock structure of mahi-mahi in the EPO, through genetic studies and conducting a tagging program.
3. Conducting conventional stock assessments and adopting biological reference points and harvest control rules for mahi-mahi and key bycatch species (e.g., sharks, billfish).
4. Adopting co-management approaches in the mahi fishery in the EPO, through regional coordination efforts between countries. 
5. Mandatory and standardized data collection and observer programs, with a minimum coverage of 20 percent of the longline fishing operations, to document bycatch and discards of ETP species, including sharks, turtles, and other non-target species.
6. Industry-recognized adoption of changes to fishing practices to minimize the bycatch and mortality rates of ETP species, such as those outlined in the Best Practices for Reducing Bycatch in Longline Tuna Fisheries report.
7. Encouraging producers and key vendors to engage in existing FIPs, to ensure national coverage of improvement efforts in key countries (Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Peru), and encouraging FIP implementers to coordinate efforts to enhance regional impact at the IATTC level. 

The 2022 public workplan for the Global Mahi SR can be accessed here.