International Fisheries:

Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC)

NEWS: Resolution C-09-01 on the Conservation of Tuna in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.

The IATTC was established under the 1949 Convention for the establishment of an Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission.

In 2003, a new Convention - the Convention for the Strengthening of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (commonly known as the "Antigua Convention") - was adopted by the parties to the IATTC. The Antigua Convention entered into force on August 27, 2010 and represents a substantial revision of the constitution of the IATTC. The Antigua Convention reflects modern developments in fisheries management including the UN Fish Stocks Agreement .

The objective of the Convention is to ensure the long-term conservation and sustainable use of the fish stocks covered by this Convention, in accordance with the relevant rules of international law.The Convention applies to all stocks of tunas and tuna-like species and other species of fish taken by vessels fishing for tunas and tuna-like species in the Convention Area.

United States Priorities

The Antigua Convention applies to waters of the Pacific Ocean including areas off the west coast states of California, Oregon and Washington, and encompasses significant U.S. fisheries, such as the troll fishery targeting albacore, and the Hawaii-based longline fishery, which expends limited effort within the Convention area.

Through the IATTC, the United States is directly engaged in the development of management arrangements for the fisheries for which the IATTC is responsible including measures to manage and conserve bigeye tuna and albacore.

Members

Belize, Canada, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, the European Union, France, Guatemala, Japan, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Republic of Korea, Chinese Taipei, United States, Vanuatu, and Venezuela. The Cook Islands and Kiribati are Cooperating Non-Parties.

Convention Area and Map

The area of application of the Antigua Convention comprises the area of the Pacific Ocean bounded by the coastline of North, Central, and South America and by the following lines:

the 50°N parallel from the coast of North America to its intersection with the 150°W meridian;
the 150°W meridian to its intersection with the 50°S parallel; and
the 50°S parallel to its intersection with the coast of South America.

Click here for a map of the IATTC - Antigua Convention Area.

Meetings

The current IATTC meeting schedule is located on the Commission's website: http://www.iattc.org/MeetingsENG.htm

Location & Contact Information

The commission is located in San Diego, California, USA.

Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission
8604 La Jolla Shores Drive
La Jolla CA 92037-1508
USA

Tel: +1 (858) 546 7100
Fax: +1 (858) 546 7133
email: info@iattc.org
Website: http://www.iattc.org