On November 20, the United States signed the newly adopted Protocol to Amend the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) Convention. During the ICCAT annual meeting in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, November 18-25, ICCAT adopted a Protocol containing amendments that bring the organization in line with modern fisheries management standards, clarify ICCAT’s mandate to manage certain species of sharks and rays, protect other species caught as bycatch in ICCAT fisheries, and protect the broader marine ecosystem. The amendments will also streamline the Commission’s decision-making processes and ensure that all key fleets targeting ICCAT species, including Taiwan, can participate in and be bound by Commission decisions. Together, these amendments will strengthen U.S. efforts to ensure the science-based, sustainable management of fisheries resources that generate hundreds of millions of dollars in annual U.S. economic activity.

The International Convention for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas established ICCAT in 1969. The United States has been a Party to ICCAT from the beginning. Since 2012, the United States has chaired negotiations to comprehensively update and modernize the ICCAT Convention.

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