Implementation of IOTC Conservation and Management Measures – Part A - Understanding IOTC and the international fisheries management framework (2022)

The objective of this manual is to provide a working document for Contracting Parties (or “Member”) and Cooperating Noncontracting Parties (CPCs) to use in the implementation of the IOTC Resolutions. The content is divided into two chapters.
The first chapter provides a broad overview of the international regime within which the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission has evolved, then examines the role of specific key international legal instruments (conventions and agreements) related to Indian Ocean tuna fisheries. It describes the roles of regional fisheries management organisations (RFMOs) and Regional Fisheries Advisory Bodies (RFABs), and explains what the IOTC is, how it is supposed to work, who drives it and what results are expected of it.
The second chapter summarises the principles and measures provided by international instruments that guide fisheries management. It then describes the fisheries management tools used by IOTC from the perspectives of coastal States, flag States, port States and market States.
This manual should be viewed as a living document that can be revised and improved by all parties as experience is expanded in the implementation of the IOTC Conservation and Management Measures.