Sri Lanka to host Indian Ocean Tuna Commission’s 15th session in March

On a proposal made by the Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development Dr. Rajitha Senaratne, the cabinet approved the hosting of the 15th Session of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) in Sri Lanka from 14 to 22 March this year

This will take place in Colombo with the participation of 200 members from IOTC member countries.

IOTC is an inter-governmental organisation mandated to manage tuna and tuna like species in the Indian Ocean and adjacent seas and Sri Lanka is one of the members of this commission.

The discussion will include how to manage tuna and other tuna species in the Indian Ocean and adjacent seas.

The objectives of such a discussion will be to promote cooperation among its members with a view to ensuring, through appropriate management, the conservation and optimum utilisation of stocks and encouraging sustainable development of fisheries based on such stocks.

Within the Indian Ocean coastal countries, European fleets also use the Indian Ocean for tuna fishing. The amount of tuna to be caught is limited annually and all countries have to abide by this amount; such discussions stipulate how much each country may be allowed to catch.