The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), which met in Limassol, Cyprus from 11 to 18 November, adopted new measures for tropical tuna stocks.
After five years of discussions on the multiannual conservation and management programme for tropical tunas, agreement has been reached on a new total allowable catch (TAC) of 73,011 tonnes for bigeye tuna, including 6,100 tonnes for small-scale fishers. For yellowfin tuna, the TAC remains at 110,000 t. Fishing opportunities for the European fleet have also slightly improved. The agreement also paves the way for the mandatory use of biodegradable, non-entangling Fish Aggregation Devices (FADs), notes the European Commission (https://aeur.eu/f/edo ).
In addition, a 45-day fishing ban (from 17 March to 30 April) and restrictions on the use of FADs (288 per vessel from 2026) have been agreed.
A TAC for North Atlantic swordfish is planned of 14,769 t for 2025-2027.
ICCAT has amended the multiannual management plan for bluefin tuna in the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean, in particular with regard to the rules on cage farming of bluefin tuna and control measures for bluefin tuna from aquaculture using artificially hatched fry.
The Europêche organisation notes that after five years of implementation, the moratorium on FADs has been reduced from 72 to 45 days. This decision was taken at the initiative of the European Union, Côte d’Ivoire and Central American countries, according to Europêche. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)