RI HOSTS INDIAN OCEAN TUNA COMMISSION MEETING IN BALI

Jakarta, March 30 (ANTARA) - The marine and fisheries ministry hosted the 13th annual meeting of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) in Bali, on Monday (March 30).

Indonesia was committed to supporting a responsible and sustainable tuna management and conservation, Widi A Pratikto, secretary general of the marine and fisheries ministry, said on behalf of the marine and fisheries minister in his speech to open the meeting, according to press statement issued by the ministry here on Monday.
Indonesia joined the IOTC as its 27th member on June 20, 2007.
IOTC is one of the Regional Fisheries Management Organization (RFMO) members under the Food and Agriculture Organization.
Indonesia currently has 16 species of tuna under the IOTC management regulation, namely Yellow Fin Tuna, Skipjack, Bigeye Tuna, Albacore Tuna, Southern Bluefine Tuna, Long tail Tuna, Kawakawa, Frigate Tuna, Bullet Tuna, Narrow Barred Spanish Mackerel, Indo Pacific King Mackerel, Indo Pacific Blue Marlin, Black Marlin, Strip Marlin,Indo Pacific Sailfish, and Swordfish.
The IOTC at present has 27 member countries and three cooperating non-contracting parties.
As the 27th member country, Indonesia has implemented several activities such as tuna revitalization program, information provision to the IOTC secretariat on the country's authorized vessels and active vessels, fishery log book application preparations, outer fishing port program, and drafting a Regional Plan of Action (RPOA) to Promote Responsible Fishing Practices (including Combating IUU Fishing in the Region in cooperation with Australia.
Indonesia's fishery fleet which has been registered at the IOTC until 2008 included 874 boats, 871 long line boats, and three purse seindedi boats.
The volume of fish catchments by Indonesia boats which had been registered at the IOTC in 2007 reached 252.227 tons, or 24.1 percent of the 104,673.7 tons.
The 13th IOTC meeting was attended by IOTC member countries, FAO, and around 200 observers.