PRETORIA: Over 500 delegates from over 50 countries has convened in Cape Town for the 23rd regular meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT).
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ICCAT is a Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (RFMO) that is responsible for the management of tuna and tuna-like species in the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea.
South Africa is represented by the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Tina Joemat-Pettersson, as well as a variety of stakeholders including tuna small scale fishers, in the meeting that will run from Monday to 25 November.
Joemat-Pettersson says she will use the meeting to add weight to South Africa's negotiating position on the adequate allocations of key species, as tuna fisheries in the Atlantic offers opportunities for development and job creation in the country, which she says has not been fully exploited.
"South Africa's strategic intent of participating in and hosting the annual ICCAT meeting is to ensure long-term fishing access in the Atlantic Ocean for South African fishing companies in the tuna pole fishery and the developing large pelagic fishery.
"Access to the Atlantic Ocean is essential for encouraging future investment in the tuna/swordfish fisheries to create the enabling environment for these fisheries to develop," says Joemat-Pettersson.
ICCAT will benefit South Africa with management activities including collating fisheries data, guiding research, conducting stock assessments, establishing management and conservation measures and issuing country quotas.
