Big strides forward at ICCAT's 50th anniversary meeting
![](https://ec.europa.eu/newsroom/repository/picture/2016-48/medfishourheritage_16570.jpg)
date: 21/11/2016
In addition, ICCAT has taken for the first time measures for Eastern and Western Sailfish as well as rolled over the total allowable catches for Northern and Southern Albacore on the basis of new stock assessments. ICCAT also continued its path for the development of harvest control rules and management strategies to bring over time more predictability for fishing operators. Work will also continue to better understand the impact of and to better manage FADs (Fish Aggregating Devices) in tropical tuna fisheries. Rules on transhipments and scientific observers have been strengthened although the EU regrets that Contracting Parties were not ready to increase the observer coverage for tropical tunas. Likewise the EU had also hoped for agreement to reduce discards in tropical tuna fisheries to avoid food waste.