EU: ICCAT FAD Moratorium reduced in the Atlantic

The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) has reduced the duration of the Atlantic Fish Aggregating Device (FAD) moratorium from 72 to 45 days, following a review that found no evidence of its effectiveness in protecting bigeye tuna. This decision, pushed by the European Union, Ivory Coast, and Central American countries, has resulted in the recovery of the tuna industry, which had experienced significant socio-economic consequences, including the closure of African canneries and the departure of half of the European purse seine fleet. ICCAT continues its commitment to sustainable tuna management and conservation of sharks, despite opposition from China and Japan. The European Union is contemplating restricting market access to products from fleets that do not comply with anti-IUU fishing measures.

ICCAT FAD Moratorium reduced in the Atlantic, tuna industry will now try to recover from economic impact. After five years of implementation, the Atlantic Fish Aggregating Device (FAD) moratorium enforced by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), was reduced from 72 to 45 days during ICCAT’s 24th special meeting, held in Cyprus from November 11 to 18. This decision was taken at the initiative of the European Union, Ivory Coast, and Central American countries. ICCAT’s Standing Committee for Research and Statistic (SCRS) could not demonstrate the moratorium’s effectiveness in protecting the bigeye tuna stock and concluded that no moratorium is necessary to maintain the species’ stock health, as the Total Allowable Catch (TAC) and its distribution have proven sufficient. However, in the absence of an allocation for yellowfin tuna, the SCRS recommended maintaining a minimum 30-day closure, despite the fact that the recent yellowfin stock ...