EU to advocate sustainable tuna fishing at meeting of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC)

The European Commission will represent the EU at the annual meeting of the IATTC which started on 27 September 2010 and will go on till 1 October 2010 in Antigua, Guatemala, reports www.megafishnet.com with reference to EC.

The Commission, in close cooperation with the Council and European Parliament, will advocate science-based conservation and management measures that result in sustainable tuna fisheries in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. Concretely, the European Commission plans to emphasise the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) activities through the adoption of Port State Measures by IATTC members, as well as through the introduction of a system to ensure appropriate tracking of catches from the sea to the final markets. Furthermore, the European Commission plans to table measures to freeze the capacity to the long-line fleet vessels operating in the area. The EU will also propose provisions for the limitation of seabirds by-catches.

On 27th August 2010 the EU became a full Member of IATTC, as a revised Convention (known as the Antigua Convention) for the IATTC enters into force. Until now, only States could be Members and the EU has so far acted as a cooperating non-party.

The IATTC is one of the oldest regional fisheries management organisations and is responsible for the conservation and management of fisheries for tuna and other species taken by tuna-fishing vessels in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.

The other Members of IATTC are Belize, Canada, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, France (on behalf of its overseas territories), Guatemala, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Chinese Taipei, United States, Vanuatu and Venezuela.