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The Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC),
CONSIDERING the objective of the Commission provided for in Article V to promote cooperation among its Members with a view to ensuring, through appropriate management, the conservation and optimum utilization of stocks covered by this Agreement and encouraging sustainable development of fisheries based on such stocks;
FURTHER CONSIDERING the responsibility of the Commission provided for in Article V(2)(d) to keep under review the economic and social aspects of the fisheries based on the stocks covered by the Agreement bearing in mind, in particular, the interest of developing coastal states;
FURTHER CONSIDERING the objective of the Commission to maintain stocks in perpetuity and with high probability, at levels not less than those capable of producing their maximum sustainable yield as qualified by relevant environmental and economic factors including the special requirements of developing States in the IOTC area of competence;
RECOGNISING the special requirements of the developing states, particularly Small Island Developing States in Article 24, of the Agreement for the Implementation of the Provisions of the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea of December 1982 relating to the Conservation and Management of Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks (UNFSA);
RECALLING paragraph 75 of the 20th Session of the IOTC Scientific Committee report (IOTC-2017-SC20-R) that states:
“75. The SC AGREED that the development of the ecosystem report card is a first step in developing the approach. Initiating the process with the development and monitoring of simple indicators and then linking these to management objectives and actions is an iterative process where the data collection and research activities are based on higher level guidance from the Commission. The SC noted that the consideration of socioeconomic dimensions are specifically mentioned in the IOTC Agreement and so the scientific subsidiary bodies are therefore mandated to work on these issues as well.”
RECALLING Article IV, paragraph 2(d) of the IOTC Agreement which states:
“2. In order to achieve these objectives, the Commission shall have the following functions and responsibilities, in accordance with the principles expressed in the relevant provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea: (d) to keep under review the economic and social aspects of the fisheries based on the stocks covered by this Agreement bearing in mind, in particular, the interests of developing coastal state”
ADOPTS in accordance with paragraph 1 of Article IX of the IOTC Agreement, that:
