IOTC coastal states reject EU tuna allocation proposal
Staff Writer |
Coastal states at a recent Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) meeting have rejected an EU proposal for 85% of the future allocation to be based on historical catches regardless of which waters the fish were caught in.
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Delegates from more than 30 countries gathered in Bangkok from 21-25 May to decide how rights over tuna resources should be divided amongst (IOTC) members and to negotiate management measures related to Indian Ocean tuna fisheries.
No agreement was reached on future allocation of tuna resources, but coastal states made it clear the EU proposal will not be accepted in the Indian Ocean, said the International Pole & Line Foundation (IPNLF).
John Burton, chairman of the International Pole & Line Foundation (IPNLF), said: “Without allocation, distant water fishing nations will continue to expand and increase their fishing capacity leaving coastal states far behind.
“Coastal states are starting to take ownership and lead the conversations on future allocation regimes to ensure their rights and interests are respected.”
Instead, the scheme that is eventually developed will be guided by the interests of those coastal states (the G16) in the region whose communities are the most reliant on the resources.
The IOTC agreed on a proposal to address the lack of information available on the social and economic aspects of the region’s tuna fisheries which could help development of equitable management measures for the future that accurately reflect the interests and dependencies of the Indian Ocean coastal states on their tuna fisheries.
IPNLF pointed out that the waters of coastal states are rich with tuna, and they have allowed foreign fishing vessels into their zones to catch them year after year, but ownership and catching rights remain with the coastal state, as recognised by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). ■