Tuna behaviour at anchored FADs inferred from local ecological knowledge of tuna fishers in the Maldives

Abstract

The Maldives tuna fishery landings in 2018 were 148, 000 t and accounted for nearly a quarter of the global pole-and-line tuna catch. This fishery partially relies on a network of 55 anchored fish aggregating devices (AFADs) deployed around the archipelago. About one-third of the total pole-and-line tuna catch is harvested at AFADs. Although the AFAD fishery has existed for 35 years, knowledge on the behaviour of tuna in the AFAD array is still limited, precluding the development of science-based fishery management. In this study, local ecological knowledge (LEK) of fishers was used to improve our understanding of tuna behaviour, through personal interviews of 54 pole-and-line fishers from different parts of the archipelago. Interview results suggest that during the northeast monsoon tuna are more abundant on the eastern side of the Maldives, while during the southwest monsoon they are more abundant on the western side of the Maldives. Most fishers believed that tuna tend to stay at the AFADs for 3 to 6 days and remain within 2 miles from the AFADs when they are associated. Fishers believe that strong currents is the main factor for tuna departure from AFADs, though high sea surface temperatures and stormy conditions were also thought to contribute to departures. Moderate currents are believed to be a favourable condition to form aggregations at the AFADs while other factors such as suitable temperature, prey and attractants enhance this aggregation. Fishers also believe that there are multiple schools segregated according to size and species at AFADs and that catchability is higher at dawn and in the late afternoon when the tuna occur shallower in the water column. This study is an important step towards engaging the Maldivian tuna fishers into a science-based fishery management.