Bycatch Mitigation Information System (BMIS)
The WCPFC Bycatch Mitigation Information System (BMIS) has been developed to manage and facilitate access to
information covering (i) bycatch and (ii) bycatch mitigation in the western and central Pacific Ocean (WCPO).
In the context of the BMIS, ‘bycatch’ refers to those species, such as sharks, seabirds and turtles, which are
incidentally caught in fisheries that target other species, such as tuna or swordfish.
Fisheries in the WCPFC Convention Area are required to ‘minimise waste and discards’ and to ‘minimise the risk
of adverse effects’ on bycatch populations.
The online system is a resource for fisheries managers, scientists, fishers and the general public. It is a central
repository of information on the mitigation and management of bycatch in the WCPO. The purpose of
publishing the BMIS on the WCPFC website is so that its content may be easily shared among Cooperating
Commission Members, cooperating non-members and participating territories (collectively known as CCMs) and
other stakeholders.
The database houses information on species encountered in WCPFC fisheries, as well as mitigation measures or methods relevant to the WCPFC fisheries, the species they relate to, and how they are linked to WCPFC Decisions (and Decisions of other RFMOs), where relevant.