The Pew Research Center is hopeful an emergency meeting of a major fisheries agency will mean controls are put in place for the 2021 season in the eastern Pacific.
Photo: Supplied/ the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre
The Inter-American tropical Tuna Commission, the IATTC, manages tuna fish stocks in the eastern part of the Pacific.
At its annual meeting earlier this month it could not reach agreement on what restrictions should be applied for 2021, leaving the region, according to Pew's Grantly Galland, facing a "really concerning situation."
Pew had called for the body to reconvene and now they have agreed to do so.
"The Chair of IATTC has announced an emergency meeting for Tuesday 22 December, North American time.
"Pew is hopeful that at that meeting they will be able to overcome their differences that were left hanging when the normal meeting concluded and hopefully adopt something that ensures management stays in place from January 1st," he said.
Galland said after the earlier meeting the region was facing a very difficult situation, "with no closed areas, no closed seasons and no catch limits for longline vessels."
