Indian Ocean yellowfin tuna has been overfished for almost a decade: it’s time to stop playing with its future by agreeing to cut the catch and rebuild the stock.
Global Tuna Alliance Partners have come together to appeal to IOTC delegates to finally end the overfishing of yellowfin tuna.
Go Fish Less is not a game – it is an urgent and powerful plea from a united collective of tuna businesses and retailers to cut the catch by more than 30%, leading to a greater than 50% probability of rebuilding the stock by 2030.
We know that the IOTC has made attempts to address this already. And we know that the overall catch of yellowfin slightly decreased in 2022 to 410,332 tonnes, down from 2021’s 416,235 tonnes and the 2017-2021 average of 435,225 tonnes. But this is not nearly enough – not according to the IOTC’s own Scientific Committee.
And while we applaud those IOTC Members who have voluntarily reduced their catches, the fact that other Members have increased their catch, sometimes significantly, means that those reductions make no difference. In addition, more inaction by the IOTC risks destabilizing this already fragile market further – and that would require bigger cuts in the future.
So, the GTA 52 Partner companies implore the IOTC to find a fair solution as quickly as possible – as solution that aligns with your 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.
EXPLORE OUR 2024 CAMPAIGN
Below, you can explore the GTA’s campaign – and it’s joint campaign with WWF – in more detail.
