Seafood supply chain “dismayed” as Indian Ocean Tuna Commission kicks yellowfin out of water

31 May 2023 --- The Global Tuna Alliance (GTA) has reacted with disappointment at another “missed opportunity” for the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) to agree on a rebuilding plan for yellowfin tuna, which has been overfished for more than eight years.

The GTA hit out at the Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMO)’s “broken” decision-making process, which allows objections by member states to block proposals, even if there is a clear consensus in favor. 

They’ve warned that continued failure to act could result in the market walking away en masse from the Indian Ocean, citing its joint campaign with the Tuna Protection Alliance (TUPA) and WWF and their market partners as evidence of growing discontent. 

Overfishing yellowfin tuna 
According to Food and Agriculture Organization data, fish stocks risk collapsing in many parts of the world due to overexploitation. It is estimated that 34% of global reserves are overfished compared with 10% in 1974.

The 27th Session of the IOTC was set against a backdrop of repeated failures in recent years to address the overfishing of yellowfin tuna in the Indian Ocean.

In 2021, the IOTC’s Scientific Committee stated that catches must be cut by 30% of 2020 levels to yield a two out of three chance of restoring the stock by 2030.In 2021, the IOTC’s Scientific Committee stated that catches must be cut by 30% of 2020 levels to yield a two out of three chance of restoring the stock by 2030. 

That same year, an interim plan – which would have seen a very modest cut to yellowfin catches as a stopgap for a single year – failed to pass owing to objections from six countries, despite 18 favoring the plan.

At last year’s meeting, a similar attempt to agree on a rebuilding plan for yellowfin was stymied by objections, which according to the GTA, were given “without rationale or alternative.” 

Ahead of this year’s meeting, the GTA had stepped up its advocacy efforts. They started their campaign with their fake can of “Overfished Indian Ocean Yellowfin Tuna” at Seafood Expo North America to highlight the predicament its partners face in trying to market an unsustainable product to an increasingly environmentally conscious consumer base. 

Already one of the largest seafood supply chain networks in the world – with 32% of tuna passing through its partners in 2021, worth a dock price of US$2.3 billion – the chorus of voices from the market demanding sustainable tuna became noticeably louder and more unified this year thanks to a unique collaboration with TUPA, WWF and their market partners. 

Objections highlighted 
As part of their joint campaign, the three organizations released a joint statement demanding a plan that would restore the yellowfin tuna stock in two generations and which called for a revision to the IOTC’s objections process in the hope that it would break the deadlock over yellowfin. 

A report co-authored by the organizations documented what they believed to be a catalog of misuses of the objections process by IOTC delegates. It highlighted that no other tuna RFMO has an objection process that allows members to opt out of measures they don’t want to comply with. 

The campaign also included a series of 20 individual statements from the GTA, TUPA and WWF market partners, all outlining the steps they either have taken or will potentially take to move their sourcing away from the Indian Ocean over the continued overfishing of yellowfin. 

In their statement, GTA and TUPA Partner Princes Group said: “Given the continued overfishing of Indian Ocean yellowfin tuna since 2015, Princes calls on the IOTC to take urgent action to bring catches down across the fishery in line with the scientific advice. The market has continued to make its voice clear. Princes has voluntarily reduced its use of Indian Ocean yellowfin by more than 50% since 2017.”

“The current status quo of infighting and disagreement needs to end, and responsibility must be taken. Compromise is necessary for the interests of Indian Ocean countries, economies and the IOTCs future as a credible and functioning management organization.”

Despite these efforts and several proposals for a rebuilding plan at this year’s IOTC meeting, only one passed from the host country, Mauritius. But it was subject to revisions that made it a voluntary measure. 

Reacting to the outcome of the meeting, Daniel Suddaby, the GTA’s new Executive Director, remarks: “I witnessed first-hand the urgency for a cut in yellowfin tuna catch at the IOTC meeting in 2016, where I passionately lobbied for change. It is disheartening to see that no substantial progress has been made. The passing of a watered-down rebuilding plan, which can be easily opted out of within a flawed objections system, highlights a profound irony.”According to Food and Agriculture Organization data, fish stocks risk collapsing in many parts of the world due to overexploitation.

“Without fixing the broken objections system, member states have no incentive to compromise, allowing them to hold the IOTC hostage and prioritize their national interest over the long-term well-being of the fishery that supports thousands of livelihoods and millions of people’s food security.” 

“What has changed since 2016 is that the market has grown more organized with a unified voice and a willingness to wield commercial influence by sourcing tuna elsewhere. The catching and processing countries blocking a rebuilding plan will inevitably suffer the consequences. Due to a changing market landscape, their national interests will be impacted, jeopardizing their economic future.”

The World Trade Organization partially banned fisheries subsidies last year, but only for illegal fishing and fishing on overfished stocks. WTO members will meet again in February 2025 to negotiate the parts of the deal that were not included, including the prohibition of all harmful subsidies.

Furthermore, wild Atlantic salmon stocks have dropped to the lowest levels on record and are nearing crisis proportions, the latest stock assessment by the Environment Agency reported in July.

Edited by Elizabeth Green