Maldives has hosted the 2nd Indian Ocean Coastal States meeting on Allocation Principles with 15 of the coastal states of the Indian Ocean. The meeting is held to bring together officials from Indian Ocean coastal states to discuss the Maldives-led proposal to set harvest control rules on skipjack tuna fishery.
The second Indian Ocean Coastal States meeting on Allocation Principles is organized by Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture of Maldives, in association with authorities from South Africa. The meeting aims to bring together officials to discuss the feasibility of the proposal by the Maldives to pre-emptively set control rules before any possible population collapse of skipjack tuna. Skipjack tuna is abundant in the Indian Ocean, and well-defined harvest control rules will ensure that stocks remain healthy.
The agreement, the first-ever precautionary harvest rule, was reached by member states attending the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission's annual meeting in May this year. The main purpose of the meeting is to sign a call of action which aims to fast-track the proposal by the Maldives to set control rules on skipjack tuna fisheries in the region. It aims to review and formulate policies on fish harvest and fish catch quota regulations for countries to follow.
The meeting in Maldives is attended by the authorities from South Africa, Seychelles, Pakistan and Kenya. Furthermore, officials from Iran, Indonesia, Somalia, Mozambique, Comoros, Mauritius and Tanzania are also attending the two day meeting which will be concluded on Thursday.