Among the new conservation and management measures, the EU welcomes the obligation to use International Maritime Organisation numbers for fishing vessels, whenever available, and the recommendation on the presentation of scientific advice which will facilitate communication between scientists and fisheries managers in IOTC. These new measures were based on an EU proposal. IOTC also agreed to set up an important pilot project to improve dialogue between scientists and managers in the IOTC framework.

The EU is however disappointed that, despite strong efforts, its three proposals against shark finning and protecting hammerhead and silky sharks, which are particularly vulnerable species, were not adopted. A considerable number of IOTC members are still not reporting basic information on their shark catches, and this lack of data and information on sharks is very concerning.  The EU is also concerned that there is increasing pressure from certain members to limit conservation and management measures to high seas while the IOTC area covers both high seas and Exclusive Economic Zones for tunas that are highly migratory.

The meeting also highlighted the challenges in 2015 and beyond. Compliance and capacity building of IOTC coastal developing States remain a key challenge. In a number of IOTC member countries, data collection systems are still very weak. In addition some members fail to apply crucial measures for monitoring, control and surveillance such as a Vessel Monitoring System or an observer programme.
 
The IOTC will continue to reflect on ways to become more effective, such as modernizing its basic Agreement to tally with the principles of fisheries management set out in the UN Fish Stocks Agreement or addressing the issue of institutional links with the Food and Agriculture Organisation. This process comes in conjunction with the second performance review of the organisation, which is due to finish in 2016 and whose Terms of Reference were adopted at this session.

As in the past years, the IOTC adopted a statement on piracy, proposed by the EU; which sends yet again a clear message to the international community on the need to continue to address it.

Background

The Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC), which is the Regional Fisheries Management Organisation responsible for managing tuna and tuna-like species in the Indian Ocean, concluded its annual plenary session on Thursday 5 June 2014 in Colombo (Sri Lanka) after five days of discussions, which were preceded by three meeting days dedicated to compliance issues.
 
The IOTC is an intergovernmental organization mandated to manage tuna and tuna-like species in the Indian Ocean and adjacent seas. Its objective is to promote cooperation among its members with a view to ensuring, through appropriate management, the conservation and optimal utilisation of stocks in the area and the sustainable development of their fisheries.

The members of IOTC are Australia, Maldives, Belize, Mauritius, China, Mozambique, Comoros, Oman, Eritrea, Pakistan, European Union, Philippines, France, Seychelles, Guinea, Sierra Leone, India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Sudan, Iran, Tanzania, Japan, Thailand, Kenya, United Kingdom, Korea, Vanuatu, Madagascar, Yemen, Somalia and Malaysia.