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Indian Ocean Tuna Commission

30th November, 2023

Indian Ocean Tuna Commission

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Context

  • The Ministry of Fisheries is organizing the 19th Working Party on Data Collection and Statistics of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC).

IOTC Details

  • The Indian Ocean Tuna Commission is an intergovernmental organization that coordinates the regulation and management of tuna in the Indian Ocean.
  • Conceived in 1993, it entered into existence in 1996.
  • A multilateral treaty, the Agreement for the Establishment of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission was approved by the Council of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in November 1993.
  • The agreement entered into force on 27 March 1996 after it had been accepted by a tenth party.
  • The Agreement is open to any state that has coasts within the Indian Ocean region (or adjacent seas) as well as any state that fishes for tuna in the Indian Ocean region. The agreement is also open to regional economic organizations.
  • The IOTC is the successor to the Indo-Pacific Tuna Development and Management Programme, which was established in 1982.
  • As of 2023, there are 30 members of IOTC:
  1. Australia
  2. Bangladesh
  3. China
  4. Comoros
  5. Eritrea
  6. European Union
  7. France
  8. India
  9. Indonesia
  10. Iran
  11. Japan
  12. Kenya
  13. South Korea
  14. Madagascar
  15. Malaysia
  16. Maldives
  17. Mauritius
  18. Mozambique
  19. Oman
  20. Pakistan
  21. Philippines
  22. Seychelles
  23. Somalia
  24. South Africa
  25. Sri Lanka
  26. Sudan
  27. Tanzania
  28. Thailand
  29. United Kingdom
  30. Yemen
  • Vanuatu was a member of the IOTC between 2012 and 2015. It chose to withdraw from the organization.
  • IOTC headquarters are located in Victoria, Seychelles.

Tuna

  • A tuna is a saltwater fish that belongs to the tribe Thunnini, a subgrouping of the Scombridae (mackerel) family.
  • Tuna, opah and mackerel sharks are the only species of fish that can maintain a body temperature higher than that of the surrounding water.
  • An active and agile predator, the tuna has a sleek, streamlined body, and is among the fastest-swimming pelagic fish.
  • Found in warm seas, the tuna is commercially fished extensively as a food fish.
  • As a result of overfishing, some tuna species, such as the southern bluefin tuna, are threatened with extinction.

Pelagic fish live in the pelagic zone of ocean or lake waters—being neither close to the bottom nor near the shore—in contrast with demersal fish that live on or near the bottom, and reef fish that are associated with coral reefs.

The marine pelagic environment is the largest aquatic habitat on Earth, occupying 11% of known fish species.

PRACTICE QUESTION

Q. Consider the following statements:

1.Tuna Fish can maintain a body temperature higher than that of the surrounding water.

2.The Agreement for the Establishment of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission is open to any state that has coasts within the Indian Ocean region.

3.India is a member of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission.

Which of the above statements is/are incorrect?

A) 1 and 2 only

B) 3 only

C) All

D) None

Answer: D) None

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