Saving Seafood

IATTC adopts interim management procedure for Pacific bluefin, but again defers for tropical tunas

September 17, 2026 — The Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) has adopted an interim management procedure for Pacific bluefin tuna and a measure to reflect a management procedure on South Pacific albacore, but again deferred any action on tropical tunas.

Businesses and NGOs alike were pushing the IATTC to adopt its first-ever management procedures for tuna ahead of the meeting. A management procedure, also known as a harvest strategy, is a means of setting pre-determined triggers on species management so regional fishery management organizations (RFMO) like the IATTC have a roadmap ahead of any sudden changes in fish stocks.

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IATTC meeting closes with agreements on transshipment and monitoring

August 8, 2022 — The 100th meeting of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) ended on 5 August with agreements on transshipment and compliance, and a commitment to adopt a harvest strategy for north Pacific albacore at next year’s meeting.

IATTC members followed the lead of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) and the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) by adopting stronger oversight for transshipment at sea. Transferring catches from a fishing vessel to a larger carrier vessel which takes fish to port is a common practice, but according to a statement by the Pew Charitable Trusts, which holds observer status at the IATTC, there were loopholes in the data collection requirements that allowed for the misreporting of catch, or in some cases, no reporting at all. The latest decision by the IATTC closes those loopholes.

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WCPFC faces test as expiration date nears for Tropical Tuna Measure

November 29, 2021 — The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) 2021 meeting begins 29 November, as it faces the expiration of its Tropical Tuna Measure guiding fishing controls for bigeye, skipjack, and yellowfin tuna in its jurisdiction.

The regional fisheries management organization, which oversees the conservation and management of highly migratory fish stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean, will meet virtually through 7 December. In December 2020, the WCPFC’s 27 members agreed to roll over its previous Tropical Tuna Measure, but the measure is set to expire in February 2022.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource