On Friday 12 March, the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) failed to reach agreement on the terms of a recovery plan for yellowfin tuna.
According to the WWF, IOTC member states failed to agree on a proposal that would have reduced the total allowable catch (TAC) of yellowfin tuna by 20% from the 2014 level.
“The EU’s clear objective was to have a revised plan for yellowfin tuna adopted that would effectively reduce the catches of this stock in line with the recommendations of the IOTC Scientific Committee”, said the European Commission. “Unfortunately, and to the deep regret of the EU, the IOTC Commission was not able to agree on a new measure during its Special Session”, a statement said.
The EU presented three successive proposals to accommodate as much as possible the requests for flexibility raised by different IOTC members while safeguarding the overall objective of reducing catches to sustainable levels. “Unfortunately, even a joint proposal by the EU and the Maldives could not gather sufficient support from other parties”. The EU will now redouble its efforts to have IOTC adopt a plan to protect yellowfin tuna during the annual meeting in June. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)