THE ROLE OF ICCAT
In the Atlantic Ocean and adjacent seas (including the Mediterranean), it is the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) which is responsible for the conservation and sustainable exploitation of all species of tuna and other pelagic commercial species living in the area (swordfish, billfish, sharks). Based on scientific evidence, this
regional fisheries management organisation (RFMO)
diagnoses the state of populations, produces recommendations so that signatory countries can negotiate binding agreements, define fishing quotas (the famous “TAC”, for “Total Allowable Catch”) and adopt measures to limit by-catch. For Atlantic bluefin tuna, ICCAT considers two distinct management entities, the ” Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean ” (which accounts for more than 90% of the total Atlantic bluefin tuna catch and population) and the ” Western Atlantic “.
Other tuna managed by ICCAT
In the ICCAT-managed area, the tuna that live alongside Atlantic bluefin tuna are bigeye tuna(Thunnus obesus)(Bigeye tuna), yellowfin tuna (T. albacares)(Yellowfin tuna), albacore(Thunnus alalunga)(Albacore) and skipjack tuna(Katsuwonus pelamis)(Skipjack tuna).
