The Commission welcomes the agreement on sustainable fisheries reached at Indian Ocean Tuna Commission

The EU welcomes the important decisions reached during the 28th annual meeting of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC), which will make fisheries in the Indian Ocean more sustainable. 11 new conservation and management measures were adopted.

After three years of complex negotiations, and based on a proposal from the EU, the Members of the IOTC adopted a much-needed resolution for the management of drifting fish aggregating devices (FADs). They also agreed on several other measures that are key for the sustainable management of stocks in the Indian Ocean.

A significant agreement on fish aggregating devices

Since 2022, the EU has consistently presented proposals to improve and tighten the management of FADs in the Indian Ocean. A FAD is a floating device used to attract tuna and/or other fish to facilitate their capture. A FAD can be drifting and tracked by means of a satellite buoy or anchored to the bottom of the seafloor. Their use depends on the needs of the fleets using them. Purse seine vessels, including those flagged in Member States of the EU, use a majority of drifting FADs in the high seas, while coastal communities tend to use anchored FADs that are located closer to the coastline.

Based on an EU proposal, the IOTC adopted the most ambitious and stringent management framework for drifting FADs ever adopted in any ocean. This includes:

• the immediate prohibition of the use of fully non-biodegradable drifting FADs;
• the gradual phase out of non-biodegradable components in drifting FADs to fully biodegradable FADs in 2030;
• the reduction of the number of drifting FADs per vessel (from 300 today to 250 FADs in 2026 and 225 in 2028, the lowest limit ever adopted in a regional fisheries management organisation);
• and the introduction of the first-ever register of FADs to ensure an improved control of this fishing practice.

Better management of skipjack tuna and swordfish

The parties to the IOTC agreed on management procedures for skipjack tuna and for swordfish that will allow for a much more informed, automatic and science-based decision-making process in the IOTC. The adoption of these measures, sponsored by the EU, place the IOTC at the forefront of modern fishery management. The IOTC is the first tuna RFMO to adopt a management procedures for swordfish, a non-tuna species, and to have management procedures for two out of the three tropical tuna stocks – skipjack and bigeye tuna.

No temporary closure of fisheries

Despite the good progress, the EU regrets that its proposal to establish a fisheries closure of one month in the Indian Ocean was not adopted. It would have helped the recovery of the yellowfin tuna and bigeye tuna stocks, which are currently overfished.

Background

The Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) is the regional fisheries management organisation (RFMO) mandated to manage the fisheries on tuna and tuna-like species in the Indian Ocean and adjacent seas. It was established in 1993 and entered into force in 1996.

The last annual meeting took place in Bangkok, Thailand, from 13 to 17 May 2024. There was a record number of 24 proposals, of which 7 introduced by the EU.

The IOTC is an intergovernmental organisation gathering the countries bordering the Indian Ocean and the countries having an interest in the tuna fisheries in the area.  The objectives are to promote cooperation among its members for the conservation and optimal utilisation of the tuna stocks in the area and to ensure the establishment of sustainable fisheries in the region. To achieve these objectives, IOTC members meet annually, discuss and adopt measures for the conservation and management of tuna and tuna-like species.

The EU became a member of IOTC in 1995. The other members of IOTC are Australia, Bangladesh, China, Comoros, France on behalf of its overseas territories, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Kenya, Korea, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tanzania, Thailand, the United Kingdom and Yemen.

The EU, represented by the Commission, plays an active global role by participating in 18 RFMOs. This makes the EU one of the most prominent actors in RFMOs worldwide, enabling it to promote international ocean governance and the sustainability of international fisheries