



The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas is one of many regional fisheries management organizations where countries and fishing entities come together annually to discuss and develop international fisheries management measures.
The 2012 ICCAT meeting saw significant advances to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing and support the rebuilding of bluefin tuna and marlin stocks. With leadership from the United States, ICCAT was able to:
In addition, the United States, Belize, and Brazil proposed a requirement that all sharks caught in ICCAT fisheries be landed with fins naturally attached. While not adopted, international support for this approach is building.
The positions advanced by the United States at ICCAT called for a precautionary approach and international standards to strengthen fishery monitoring and reporting in all ICCAT fisheries. The newly agreed measures will support the long-term sustainability of ICCAT stocks across international fisheries, to the benefit of U.S. fishermen.