Spanish Tuna Fleet Drives International Alliance for FAD Recovery in the Eastern Pacific

SPAIN
Friday, September 12, 2025, 06:00 (GMT + 9)

The Spanish tuna fleet is spearheading a pioneering initiative alongside fishermen from Ecuador, the United States, and Panama to intensify the monitoring and retrieval of fish aggregating devices (FADs), thus strengthening its commitment to environmental sustainability and responsible fishing.

Madrid - The Spanish tuna fleet has driven the creation of an international alliance to enhance the monitoring and retrieval of fish aggregating devices (FADs, or DCPs in Spanish) used in tropical tuna fishing. With this initiative, the Spanish fleet reinforces the strategy it began in 2010 with the implementation of its Code of Good Practices, aimed at placing environmental sustainability at the core of its operations.

The initiative, named the Tuna Alliance for the Recovery of FADs in the Eastern Pacific Ocean (OPO), has been signed by vessel owner associations from Spain, the United States, Ecuador, and Panama.

FADs are devices that have been used for decades in tropical tuna purse seine fishing, as they increase the efficiency of this activity by reducing fuel consumption and, consequently, the carbon footprint in providing an affordable supply of one of the world's most consumed foods. In this sense, this alliance reinforces the fleets' conviction to minimize the potential impacts of these devices at the end of their useful life or when they become stranded or adrift.

Alliance Commitments

The new alliance has already agreed on a series of key measures, including the creation of a multisectoral coalition composed of the fishing industry, Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs), governments, NGOs, and conservation entities to promote initiatives for tracking and retrieving these devices. They have also agreed to create a financial fund, called the Tuna Alliance Fund for the Recovery of FADs in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, to support various FAD monitoring, recovery, and recycling programs.

Vessel owners will make annual contributions based on each vessel's capacity, within a transparent framework and with joint responsibility among participants. These funding sources will also be expanded with additional support from processors, marketers, technology providers, or international organizations. Finally, they also agreed to ensure participatory governance with a committee to oversee the use of resources and guarantee transparency and the prioritization of projects with the greatest positive environmental impact.

Sharing Information to Contribute to Sustainable Fishing

The new alliance will share information from its projects and programs with the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) and other scientific bodies, to contribute to the knowledge about FAD behavior and sustainability strategies. The signatories of this alliance emphasize that this initiative represents a collective commitment to protect marine biodiversity while ensuring the sustainability of the tuna fishery in the Eastern Pacific

According to Alfonso Beitia, president of the Association of Large Freezer Tuna Vessels (AGAC), “It is truly satisfying that tuna fishermen from Ecuador, Spain, the United States, and Panama have created a fund to finance the recovery and monitoring of FADs, as it strengthens our commitment to sustainability and our conviction that our fishing method is one of the most responsible in the world.”

The alliance has been signed by James Sousa, president of the American Tunaboat Association (ATA) from the United States; Alfonso Beitia Lachaga, president of the Association of Large Freezer Tuna Vessels (AGAC) from Spain; Captain Ricardo Buehs Bowen, president of the Association of Tuna Vessels of Ecuador (ATUNEC); and María Patricia Díaz, president of the International Fisheries Foundation (FIPESCA) from Panama.

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