19th Working Party on Data Collection and Statistics of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission Commences Today

The Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, GoI is organizing the 19th Working Party on Data Collection and Statistics (WPDCS19) of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) from November 28 to December 2, 2023.

The meeting was inaugurated today at Hotel St. Regis, Mumbai, Maharashtra.

This is an important meeting organized by the IOTC and hosted by the Department of Fisheries, GoI, which will bring together renowned Scientists and Experts in the field of Tuna fisheries from all around the world.

Joint Secretary, Dept. of Fisheries, GoI, Neetu Kumari Prasad, and Commissioner of Fisheries, Govt of Maharashtra, Atul Patne was also present during the event.

Tunas and other large pelagic species, such as billfishes, sharks, and rays, hold immense economic significance, with tunas alone contributing an estimated annual value of trade of US$41 billion (in 2018).

The international scope of these species necessitates collaborative efforts for improved management and conservation, given their susceptibility to overfishing by multinational fisheries.

There were participants from countries namely, Indonesia, France, Spain, other countries of the European Union (EU), Seychelles, Tanzania, Iran, Thailand, Japan, Sri Lanka, Oman, and India attending the meeting in person.

Besides, many participants from various other countries, IOTC, and scientific organizations are attending the meeting in Virtual Mode as well.

The scientist will brainstorm and analyze the existing scientific methods adopted by various countries in data collection, compilation, and reporting to IOTC for the purpose of resource assessments and will come out with advanced and simplified methods of data collection and statistics in the Indian Ocean Region.

This meeting will be followed by the main Scientific Committee meeting of the IOTC to be held at the same venue from December 4 to 8, 2023 which will consider the recommendations of the WPDCS and various other working parties for scientific recommendations relating to sustainable management of tuna and tuna like species in the Indian Ocean.