Tuna Commission Begins to Embraces Sustainability

WWF welcomed the long overdue endorsement of a precautionary approach for Indian Ocean tuna management as well as some basic elements of sustainable management measures including turtle and seabird protection. First steps have also been adopted for the management of Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs), anchored or free floating platforms around which fish congregate.

The IOTCs 16th meeting, held in Freemantle, Australia, was noted for the increasing engagement of Indian Ocean island and coastal states.

The two proposals to implement the precautionary approach for Indian Ocean tuna management, in line with international standards for sustainable fisheries, were put forward by the island countries of Maldives, Mauritius and Seychelles.

The delegation from Maldives are delighted that they were able to gather consensus on adopting the Precautionary Approach - an important sea change in managing tuna and tuna-like species in the Indian Ocean. We are thankful to Mauritius and Seychelles, the co-sponsors of the Resolution, Australia, the EU, the Secretariat, and in particular to India for their continued support and understanding", said Dr Hussain R Hassan, the Minister of State for Fisheries and Agriculture for the Maldives.

The Maldives prides itself on careful management of natures resources and is glad to lead the way in sustainable fisheries management in this Ocean, and look forward to further develop work on harvest control measures with the other nations of the Indian Ocean.

Most crucially, the meeting adopted the precautionary approach in general as a binding resolution. The second proposal, laying out management measures for implementing the precautionary approach, was unfortunately only adopted as a recommendation to the Scientific Committee for use in developing its advice, rather than a binding resolution.

The meeting however, still leaves the fisheries of the Indian Ocean without basic measures such as catch limits or specific measures on sharks, dolphins and other cetaceans that are impacted by tuna fisheries, say WWF.

An EU proposal, strongly supported by Australia, to extend protection to the more vulnerable sharks, failed to achieve consensus.

The Indian Oceans tuna market is worth more than three billion U.S. dollars annually, providing livelihoods to hundreds of thousands of fishermen, and vital food for local communities, said Daniel Suddaby, Tuna Manager for WWFs Smart Fishing Initiative.

Only if managed sustainably can we avoid risking these vital natural resources and the livelihoods that depend upon them.

WWF hopes the IOTC and its Member States will continue their efforts towards developing a precautionary management of tuna in the Indian Ocean with clear harvest control strategies and fair and equitable allocation of catch.