ORGP - CTOI/IOTC - Commission for Indian Ocean Tunas
Description
IOTC, an intergovernmental organisation, was signed in 1993. It is responsible for the management of tuna and tuna-like species in the Indian Ocean and adjacent seas as well encouraging the sustainable development of fisheries.
RFMO location and website
Commission for Indian Ocean Tunas – IOTC
IOTC Secretariat
Le Chantier Mall, 2nd Floor
PO Box 1011
Victoria Mahé Seychelles
Website: https://www.iotc.org
Geographical Area
Fishing gear (PT)
- Surface Longlines
- Pole-and-line
By-catches
- All species caught, including incidental catches, must be duly recorded in the fisheries logbook. Any interactions with sea turtles and seabirds should also be recorded in a specific form, indicating the location of the interaction, the species in question and the situation of the animal after removal from the device, i.e. dead or alive. Vessels operating in the region are still required to implement mitigation measures aimed at reducing, and possibly eliminating, interactions with these species.
Prohibited species
Sharks: In the regulatory area of IOTC:
- It is prohibited to keep on board, transship or land any carcass or whole carcass of Bigeye thresher of any species of the Alopiidae family in any fishery.
- It is also prohibited to keep on board, transship or land any carcass or whole carcass of white-finned shark (Carcharhinus longimanus) in any fishery, except in the case of vessels below 24 meters that exclusively carry out fishing operations in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the flag Member State provided, that their catches are exclusively for local consumption.
Eligibility conditions
- Have a valid fishing license in accordance with art.º6 of the Control Regulation (Regulation (EC) No. 1224/2009)
- Having number IMO if required under Union law;
- The fishing vessel is not on a list of IUU vessels adopted by a RFMO and / or the Union under the IUU Regulation;
- Have a vessel monitoring system (VMS) installed and operational;
- Have an electronic recording and reporting system installed and operational (ERS);
- Have valid certificates of navigation and compliance;
- To be on the IOTC authorized vessel list.
Legislation
- Regulation (CE) 1224/2009
- Regulation (UE) 2017/2403
- TAC and QUOTA Regulation - Council Regulation (EU) fixing every year the fishing opportunities for certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks, applicable in Union waters and, for Union fishing vessels, in certain non-Union waters
Observer Coverage
In order to collect activity and catch data, IOTC has instituted a Regional Observers Program (ROP) to cover the fishing activities in the Regulatory Area. The collection of scientific data under this program is assured by IPMA. Scientific observers from this Portuguese Institute assure the compliance with IOTC ROP requirements.