The Global Tuna Alliance (GTA) is attending the opening day of the 28th Indian Ocean Tuna Committee (IOTC) meeting in Bangkok, where it is urging delegates to cooperate on much-needed reductions to the yellowfin tuna catch.
According to the GTA, this presents an opportunity to act before 2025 – which would mark ten years since this stock was first declared overfished – and it states that based on alarming scientific evidence, delegates must agree to cut the yellowfin catch by 30% in order to rebuild the stock.
’These IOTC meetings are where the future of tuna in the Indian Ocean is decided. So it is essential that the voice of our partners, representing a huge swath of the tuna supply chain, are heard and acted upon,’ said GTA executive director Daniel Suddaby, commenting that failure to address the threats facing yellowfin risks a full collapse of the stock, with major ecological and societal consequences, particularly in coastal states around the Indian Ocean where thousands of livelihoods depend on tuna.
‘All of our 52 Partners share grave concerns about overfishing and unsustainable practices – concerns echoed everywhere by the scientific community, conservationists and global consumers. That’s why we’re collaborating on a joint campaign with the WWF, unifying the global voice of the tuna market and the world’s most recognised conservation organisation,’ he said.
To engage decision-makers more creatively in its campaign, the GTA developed a twist on the classic card game ‘Go Fish’, rebranded as ‘Go Fish Less: Yellowfin Edition’. These GTA-branded decks of cards, communicating the key campaign messages from our GTA Partners, have been given to each IOTC delegation in Bangkok. The back of the pack lays out the ’rules’ of the game in three parts: to break through the deadlock on catch allocations and strike a deal to cut the overall catch, to make a plan to rebuild the stock in two generations, and to act now before bigger cuts are necessary.
Each of the 52 cards inside the deck features a market statement from a GTA partner, calling for the urgent reduction of the Indian Ocean yellowfin tuna catch, such as this appeal from South African retailer Woolworths – The overfishing of yellowfin tuna in the Indian Ocean is a profound, systemic challenge, not in the future, but right here, right now and taking action to rebuild the yellowfin tuna stock cannot wait.
‘While we know that some fishing nations have attempted to cut their catch individually, it’s not nearly enough – not according to the IOTC’s own Scientific Committee,’ said Kerrie Robertson, the GTA’s Advocacy lead, who is spearheading their efforts.
‘The IOTC members simply cannot continue to play games with the future of yellowfin. The longer this takes, the worse the cuts will be for everyone, which is particularly detrimental for the countries that depend heavily on this amazing resource.’
‘In short, this is us, the 52 Partners of the GTA, imploring the IOTC to find a fair solution as quickly as possible,’ Daniel Suddaby added. ‘A solution that aligns with their obligations under international law and properly listens to expert and independent scientific counsel. If the Commission fails to achieve that, it must – at the very least and without delay – adopt a roadmap detailing the steps to reach such an agreement by May 2025.’
