Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) publishes 2021 yellowfin tuna catch limits

The Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) has published a new list of yellowfin tuna catch limit allocations for 2021.A statement by IOTC Executive Secretary Christopher O’Brien said the commission is focused on the rebuilding of the Indian Ocean yellowfin tuna stock, hence the annual allocation of catch limits for affiliated members under the organization’s Resolution 19/01.O’Brien said the 2021 catch limits concern fishing vessels “targeting tuna and tuna-like species in the Indian Ocean of 24 [meters] overall length and over, and those under 24 [meters] if they fish outside the exclusive economic zone of their flag state, within the IOTC area of competence.”A limit of 177,941 metric tons (MT) of yellowfin has been allocated to fleets from eight IOTC member regions, including the European Union, Seychelles, Maldives, Taiwan, Indonesia, South Korea, Mauritius, and Sri Lanka.The catch limits, O’Brien said, are calculated for the fleets deploying purse seine, long-line, gillnet, bait ...