© WWF
Martin Hall
Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission
Dr. Hall has been the head of the Tuna-Dolphin Program of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission since 1984. He has performed original research on dolphin behavior related to bycatch in tuna nets, and his findings have been used in developing methods to reduce dolphin bycatch.The fishers education program, together with the widespread adoption of improved gear and procedures, resulted in dolphin mortality reductions of close to 99%, without reducing the productivity of the fishery. Dr. Hall has also been directly involved in developing and implementing the international agreements that address the tuna-dolphin issue. In recent years he has developed, in cooperation with WWF, NOAA, national fisheries agencies, and local and international conservation groups, a program to reduce sea turtle mortality in the longline fisheries of the eastern Pacific that is currently underway in most countries of the Pacific coast of America, from Peru to Mexico.
His publications in recent years center on bycatch issues in general, and the strategies and approaches to implement successful mitigation programs. He has presented papers at numerous scientific and management conferences, and organized well over a hundred workshops for fishers, on bycatch problems and solutions.