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The
Agreement on the International Dolphin Conservation Program (AIDCP), a
legally-binding multilateral agreement which entered into force in
February 1999, established this program, the successor to the 1992
Agreement on the Conservation of Dolphins (the "La Jolla Agreement"). The IATTC provides the Secretariat for the program,
which covers the Eastern Pacific Ocean (see
map).
Objectives:
1. |
To
progressively reduce incidental dolphin mortalities in the tuna
purse-seine fishery in the Agreement Area to levels approaching
zero, through the setting of annual limits; |
2. |
With
the goal of eliminating dolphin mortality in this fishery, to seek
ecologically sound means of capturing large yellowfin tunas not in
association with dolphins; and |
3. |
To
ensure the long-term sustainability of the tuna stocks in the
Agreement Area, as well as that of the marine resources related to
this fishery, taking into consideration the interrelationship
among species in the ecosystem, with special emphasis on, inter
alia, avoiding, reducing and minimizing bycatch and discards of
juvenile tunas and non-target species. |
States and Regional
Economic Integration Organizations bound by the AIDCP:
1. |
States
and Regional Economic Integration Organizations which have ratified or acceded to the Agreement:
Belize,
Colombia, Costa Rica,
Ecuador, El Salvador, European Union, Guatemala, Honduras,
Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, United States, Venezuela. |
2. |
States
which are applying
the Agreement provisionally: Bolivia, Vanuatu. |
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