International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT)

The annual meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) is taking place in Marrakech, Morocco from November 17-24, 2008.

ICCAT is the regional fisheries management organization responsible for tunas and tuna-like species that frequent vast areas of the Atlantic Ocean. This includes the bluefin tuna stock found in the Western Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico, as well as the bluefin tuna stock found in the Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea. It also comprises: north and south Atlantic albacore, bigeye, yellowfin and skipjack tunas; north and south Atlantic swordfish; and various billfishes and mackerels.

There are presently 46 members of ICCAT. Membership spans countries from North, South and Central America, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, as well as from distant-water fishing nations in Asia.

Canada has been a member of ICCAT since it was created in 1969. Our quotas of bluefin tuna and swordfish (546 tonnes and1,296 tonnes respectively in 2008) are worth more than $35 million annually. Canadian tuna harvesters also fish small quantities of yellowfin, bigeye and albacore tunas that are managed by ICCAT.

The most important issue at this year’s meeting is the need for ICCAT to implement stringent conservation and management measures for the Eastern and Mediterranean bluefin tuna fishery.

To show how these measures can be implemented with positive results, Canada will be showing and distributing to all ICCAT members a video called, Canada’s bluefin tuna fishery: a model of sustainable management. The video demonstrates how a sustainable fishery can be achieved. It is an example that can be emulated by others to prevent further decline of some high seas tuna stocks.

Multi-Media

• Video: Canada’s Bluefin Tuna Fishery: A Model for Sustainable Management

Backgrounders

• Canada and the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas
• Bluefin Tuna Management Plan for 2007 and Beyond
• Other Bluefin Tuna Fisheries Management Information
• Swordfish and Other Tunas (Albacore, Bigeye, and Yellowfin) Management in Canada

Facts on Fish

• Atlantic Bluefin Tuna
• Atlantic Swordfish
• Albacore Tuna
• Yellowfin Tuna
• Bigeye Tuna
• Skipjack Tuna

Science Research

The Role of Science in Canada’s Sustainable Bluefin Tuna Fishery

Related Links

International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas