FPAOI Charges Tuna Commission on Sustainable Quota System

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The Fédération des Pêcheurs Artisans de l’Océan Indien (FPAOI) has tasked parties to the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC)’s Technical Committee on Allocation Criteria (TCAC04) to produce sustainable quota allocation for migratory tuna in the Indian Ocean region. FPAOI, the umbrella artisanal fishing association for the Indian Ocean region, noted that the allocation system is essential for the sustainable management of tuna fisheries in the Indian Ocean. It expressed worry that the contracting parties to the IOTC have failed to agree on a sustainable quota system after working on it for many years with an initial deadline of 2012.

By Emeka Umejei

The (FPAOI) also reaffirmed its position that any quota system being implemented by government must recognise and support sustainable fisheries. The FPAOI made the submission at the  the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) hosted the 4th Technical Committee on Allocation Criteria (TCAC04) in Mahe, Mauritius and at IOC SMARTFISH programme on coastal tuna fisheries also in Mauritius.   “We believe that any agreement for the IOTC regarding how quotas will be allocated must recognise and support sustainable domestic tuna fisheries, given the role our tuna fisheries play in providing employment and food security,”  FPAOI said in a press statement.

 The FPAOI emphasised that it “will continue to defend our artisanal tuna fisheries in this process, and put pressure on governments to finalise the quota system keeping in mind that any system should guaranty the sustainability of the resources on which numbers of small scale fishers rely”. The FAPOI also noted that it will maintain close collaboration with allies such as the Confédération Africaine des Organisations Professionnelles de la Pêche Artisanale (CAOPA) and CFFA (Coalition for Fair Fisheries Agreements) towards achieving sustainable fisheries in the Indian Ocean region.

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