Regional fishery management organisations (rfmos)

The three species of targeted tropical tunas in our catches (skipjack, yellowfin and bigeye) are highly migratory species, so their management should be done throughout their ranges, which includes both the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) of coastal countries as well as international waters.

RFMOs are international organizations of countries with fishing interests in a particular area.

RFMOs are open both to countries in the region – “coastal states” – and those who have interests in the fishing grounds. Some RFMOs are purely advisory, but most are able to set catch limits and fishing effort, technical measures and control obligations.

There are four RFMOs in the three oceans:

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  • Atlantic: International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT)
  • Indian: Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC)
  • Eastern Pacific: Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC)
  • Western and Central Pacific: Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC)