🟢 Yellowfin TAC agreed: The Commission reached a Total Allowable Catch (TAC) of 436,867 t for 2027–2028, reducing fishing pressure compared to current levels and reflecting broad, though not unanimous, support from fishing parties.
🟠 TAC set above scientific advice: The agreed catch limit sits at 104% of the Scientific Committee’s recommendation, setting an unwelcome precedent that could invite further pressure on the stock.
🟢 Rules-based management defended: Efforts to suspend the Skipjack Management Procedure (MP) were deferred, reaffirming the Commission’s commitment to science-based, predictable fisheries management.
🟢 Labour standards on the agenda: The Commission tasked the Working Party on Socio-Economics (WPSE) with considering how to improve labour standards, creating a formal route for further discussion.
🟠 Transparency improved, but gaps remain: New statistical reporting measures were adopted, but no progress was made on High Seas Boarding and Inspection, and the Record of Authorised Vessels (RAV) threshold was not lowered — leaving significant oversight gaps.
🟡 What’s next: GTA’s focus will be on whether the Commission can make meaningful progress on the long-standing challenges that this year’s meeting left unresolved; the development of a yellowfin Management Procedure, stronger labour protections and the remaining transparency gaps.
“The 30th Annual Session of the IOTC demonstrated yet again the importance of agreeing allocation mechanisms to share the total allowable catches of tuna stocks. The Commission’s continued reliance on ‘interim solutions’ highlights the failure to resolve entrenched foundational issues that has dogged this Commission for half of its 30 years.“
Dr. Wetjens Dimmlich
Yellowfin tuna dominated the agenda and reaching a catch limit was the defining test of this year’s session.
The Commission agreed on a TAC of 436,867 t for 2027–2028. Set below current levels, this should reduce fishing pressure on the stock. It also reflects broad support, with the number of formal objections falling from five to two, meaning the majority of fishing parties now stand behind the outcome.
The trade-off, however, is significant. The agreed TAC sits at 104% of the level recommended by the Scientific Committee, above the 421,000 t advised. Though the difference between the ‘recommended’ and ‘agreed’ figures is small, the decision to set a catch limit above scientific advice is an unwelcome precedent that could lead to further pressure on the stock. Impacts could be mitigated if individual fishing parties fish below their allocation, but that would reflect good luck rather than good management.
This debate has shown both the Commission’s capacity to reach agreement and one of the central structural challenges facing IOTC: setting science-based catch limits while also navigating how catch is shared among members.
As a result, the TAC decision, though welcome, does not yet provide the long-term stability needed for the market to source responsibly with confidence.
Next steps: The Scientific Committee has been tasked with assessing the impact of exceeding the TAC under different scenarios. GTA will monitor the findings and assess opportunities to reinforce market expectations regarding Management Procedure adoption.
A proposal from one party to suspend the Skipjack Management Procedure until after the 2026 stock assessment concluded was met with swift and unified opposition from a number of other members.
Why it matters: MPs are essential for replacing short-term negotiations (like the yellowfin debates above) with predictable, rules-based systems. Suspending an active MP would be a step backward for the IOTC’s credibility, and the Commission’s decision to defend it reaffirms its broader commitment to science-based management.
The IOTC took a more concrete step on labour standards this year, asking the WPSE to consider how labour standards could be improved, creating a formal route for further discussion. This followed a presentation on existing labour standards that highlighted the gap between IOTC’s current approach and other RFMOs.
GTA also joined the Indonesian Migrant Workers’ Union (SBMI) in urging further action and delivered an intervention welcoming these early steps. We expect the WPSE’s work to draw on the WCPFC labour standards measure as a reference point for what a comparable approach could look like in the IOTC context. GTA has confirmed its continued engagement with the WPSE on this important topic.
The Commission made some progress on transparency, but deferred or fell short on core reforms needed to strengthen monitoring and oversight of Indian Ocean tuna fisheries.
New measures to improve statistical reporting were adopted, including requirements on catch location data. These should improve data quality and are likely to support future allocation discussions.
No progress was made on High Seas Boarding and Inspection. This remains a significant gap in the Commission’s ability to monitor and control fishing activity, and an ongoing source of risk for the fisheries it manages.
The Record of Authorised Vessels (RAV) threshold was not lowered from 24m to 12m. This means smaller vessels, which can catch tuna at industrial scale, remain outside key monitoring and control requirements. It leaves a significant and well-documented gap in IOTC’s oversight framework, one that the Commission will need to address if it is serious about comprehensive catch accountability.
For its 30th anniversary, this year’s session showed that the Commission can reach agreement under pressure. The yellowfin TAC, however imperfect, reflects genuine diplomatic effort and a broader consensus than in recent years. But the session also confirmed that some of the IOTC’s most consequential challenges remain unresolved.
GTA’s focus in the period ahead will be on three priorities:
We will continue working with partners and stakeholders to support credible, science-based management and stronger oversight across Indian Ocean tuna fisheries, and to help ensure that the progress made at IOTC translates into real-world outcomes.
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