The role of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC).
The Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) is the regional fisheries management organization (RFMO) responsible for the conservation and management of tuna and tuna -like species, associated species and their ecosystems, throughout the Eastern Pacific Ocean, from Canada, in the north, to Chile, in the South. Tunas and similar species are highly mobile. They move freely therefore through maritime areas under different legal regimes, from one area under the national jurisdiction of a coastal State to that of another state and beyond to the high seas. In order to ensure an appropriate conservation of the stocks and their sustainable management , cooperation is therefore essential between all the interested parties. The 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) has included tuna and tuna like species in the category of “ highly migratory species ” which are governed by the provisions of its Article 64 that establishes this duty to cooperate “ with a view to ensuring c...