Seychelles hosted the IOTC plenary meeting between the 16th and 20th of May. PEVASA attended this important annual meeting with its own representation together with the rest of ANABAC and EUROPECHE associates.
Although important progress was made in the management of the bigeye tuna stock and in the reinforcement of control measures, the blockade by the group of objecting countries prevented the adoption of any management agreement for yellowfin tuna or skipjack tuna.
The owners of tuna purse seiners advocate for a responsible management of fish aggregating devices (FADs), advancing in the use of biodegradable materials and in the use of technology for the reduction of by-catches, the use of electronic monitoring or the reinforcement of the control of transhipments on the high seas.
We also demanded the adoption of reasonable management measures consistent with the available scientific information that would allow the recovery of the state of the yellowfin tuna stock, but this demand was ignored by some countries.
We will have to wait for the extraordinary call that will take place in the first quarter of 2023 to know the regulatory environment, hoping that it will be sensible, logical and effective and that all gears will assume their share of responsibility.
PEVASA will continue to fight for the adoption of measures to ensure long-term sustainable exploitation for the good of the entire international community.
In the following link you can consult the official EUROPECHE statement
