Supply Chain Roundtable

Global Mahi

Read the Large Pelagics Sector Sustainability Update 2021.

The Global Mahi Supply Chain Roundtable focuses on monitoring and supporting fishery improvement projects (FIPs) in global mahi-mahi fisheries. The participants are leading importers of mahi-mahi in the North American market.

 

SR participants engage with the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) about improvements in science and management at the regional fisheries management organization (RFMO) level and coordinate internationally to meet these improvements through participation in COREMAHI. Participants advocate for better policy and management with national governments. They engage vendors on sustainability issues and ask their suppliers to participate in FIPs and implement best practices and improvements.

See a list of all SR members.

Sector Snapshot

6 Active Mahi FIPs

12 Roundtable Participating Companies

1 MSC-Certified Mahi Fisheries

50 % Global Mahi Production Improving or Sustainable

Join This Roundtable

To join this Supply Chain Roundtable or for more information, please contact Amber Von Harten or call SFP at 1-808-726-2582.

Impact & Updates

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. 

Q4 2022 Update:

  • SR participants asked their mahi suppliers for information on how the FIPs they are sourcing from are addressing bycatch issues, and also requested improvements to the progress of bycatch-related actions (mitigation and monitoring) in the FIP workplan. 

Sector Background

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.

Activity & Workplan

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.

Join This Roundtable

To join this Supply Chain Roundtable or for more information, please contact Amber Von Harten or call SFP at 1-808-726-2582.