A delegation from the DGRM attended the latest meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), which took place from November 13 to 20 in Cairo, Egypt.

ICCAT is an organization that assesses and regulates around 30 stocks of tuna and tuna-like fish in all the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, including the adjacent seas.

The meeting was attended by around 600 delegates from 52 Contracting Parties (CPs), 5 Cooperating Parties (Bolivia, Chinese Taipei, Suriname, Guyana and Costa Rica) and Non-Governmental Organizations. The European Union (EU) had a delegation that included representatives of the Administrations, as Councillors, and representatives of the Sector and Non-Governmental Organizations, as observers.

Once again this year, particular attention was paid to tropical tuna, especially bigeye tuna, which is of strategic interest to the artisanal pole-and-line fleets of Madeira and the Azores. The proposals under discussion were aimed at defining the TAC to be adopted for 2024, as well as its distribution key. Despite the efforts of some Contracting Parties, including the EU, it was not possible to reach a consensus on the distribution key, so for 2024 there will be a rollover of the 2023 measures and the TAC will remain at 62,000 tons.

With regard to Bluefin Tuna (BFT), the TAC of 40,570 tons having been adopted in 2023 for a period of 4 years, the discussion focused on the proposal to amend Recommendation 22-08, regarding the Management Plan for this stock, presented by the European Union, in order to update the current ICCAT provisions regarding the fattening of BFT and the production capacity of farms. The proposal was approved, with the removal of the limitation on the farms' culture and fattening capacity, which will be expressly regulated in the TAC and Quota regulations, together with the quotas to be allocated to Portugal, at the Agrifish Council in December.

On the other hand, the TAC for albacore tuna in the North Atlantic has increased by 25% compared to 2023, in line with scientific advice, resulting in an increase in the EU's quota and consequently Portugal's.

As for the northern stock of Atlantic swordfish, the Management Strategy Evaluation (MSE) work was completed, but no consensus could be reached, and the discussion was postponed until next year's annual meeting. The TAC for 2024 remained at 13,200 tons.

Finally, the adoption of a new management strategy and the establishment of a previously non-existent TAC for the overfished South Atlantic blue shark were highlighted, with the aim of reducing the stock's current catch levels and meeting the wishes of many Contracting Parties and most of the NGOs present at the meeting. Also in poor condition is the North Atlantic blue whiting, whose TAC has been reduced to 32,689 tons in line with the scientific advice of this RFMO.

The next annual ICCAT meeting is scheduled to take place in Cyprus between November 11 and 18, 2024.

Below is a table of the TACs and Union quota estimates approved at this annual meeting for 2024 compared to the 2023 TACs and quotas: