Outcomes of the Working Groups Deliberations on Resolution 11/01 regarding consolidation of IOTC Resolutions and Recommendations

In 2011 the Commission adopted Resolution 11/01 Regarding Consolidation of IOTC Resolutions and Recommendations. This Resolution recognises the desirability of improving the coherence and accessibility of the IOTCs Resolutions and Recommendations (collectively termed Conservation and Management Measures, CMMs). The Resolution noted that work was likely to be complex and that it may have many implications, such as those of a legal, procedural or practical nature. The Resolution also created a Working Group (WG) that would guide the development of a Compendium of IOTC CMMs.
Following the 15th Session of the Commission the IOTC Secretariat called for interested members to nominate to participate in the WG. With funding from the European Union‟s Smartfish Programme, the WG, through the IOTC Secretariat, approached the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) as the relevant implementing agency of the European Union SmartFish Programme to assist to undertake this work. Following some lengthy delays, two consultants were awarded the contract to complete this work in accordance with agreed terms of reference in February/March 2012.
In March 2012 the IOTC Secretariat prepared a document to inform the Commission and the Working Group of current CMMs which although they have not been revoked or superseded, may no longer be in use or applicable to the management of tuna and tuna-like species in the Indian Ocean.
Between April and May 2012, the consultants, via the IOC, provided the IOTC Secretariat and WG with a number of documents. The document concerning the structure of the Compendium was disseminated to the WG at the 16th Session of the Commission in April 2012. In a meeting held by the WG in the margins of the 16th Session of the Commission, the WG agreed that the documents produced by the Consultants provided useful background for the WG and on which recommendations relevant to the IOTC could be further developed and refined.
The WG has continued to progress this work throughout 2012 using electronic means. The WG has developed seven recommendations for the Commission‟s consideration as outlined below.