Schedule of work for the development of management procedures for key species in the IOTC Area – UPDATE

At its 21^st Session in 2017, the Commission adoped the ‘Schedule of work for the development of management procedures for key species in the IOTC Area’ (the Schedule). In the period since,  substantial progress has been made to develop management procedures, ranging from early MSE work for swordfish to the consideration of a draft management procedure measure for yellowfin tuna.

At its 25^th  Session in 2021, the Commission endorsed a request by the Technical Committee on Management Procedures (TCMP) that the Scientific Committee develop a revised work plan for Management Procedure development. This proposed update to the Schedule fulfils this request and is presented for the consideration of relevant scientific working parties and the Scientific Committee in 2021. Based on feedback from the scientific bodies, the update will be revised and submitted for consideration by the TCMP and endorsement by the Commission at their 2022 sessions.

This updated Schedule outlines the process that will need to be followed and the decisions that need to be made to develop management procedures for key IOTC species (at the stock or fishery level) in the IOTC area of competence. It provides a guide for the IOTC committees and sub-committes, as well as the Commission, to understand their roles and responsibilities in the process of developing and adopting management procedures. It also provides indicative timeframes for this work, which may be subject to change. The schedule of work is intended to continue to be a ‘living’ document that the Commission owns and uses (including updating as required) to catalyse, track and confirm its ongoing commitment to the development of management procedures.