International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas

The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) is a tuna regional fishery management organisation, responsible for the management and conservation of tuna and tuna-like species in the Atlantic Ocean and adjacent seas.^[1] The organization was established in 1966, at a conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and operates in English, French and Spanish. The organisation has been strongly criticised by scientists for its repeated failure to conserve the sustainability of the tuna fishery by consistently supporting over-fishing – an internal review branded ICCAT's policies on the eastern Atlantic bluefin tuna fishery a "travesty of fisheries management", and an "international disgrace".^[2] Conservationists often refer to ICCAT as "The International Conspiracy to Catch All Tuna".^[3]

However, in recent years the organization seems to be turning around. For the most iconic species within its management, the Eastern Bluefin Tuna, a very strict recovery plan was adopted. It is too early to judge its final outcome, but initial indications are encouraging. In general, ICCAT contracting parties seem to have agreed to steer the organization into a direction of relying on sound science, insisting on compliance and following a good governance model.