Addressing the decline in tuna stocks resulting from overfishing in the world’s oceans, the UN Legal Counsel emphasizes the critical importance of effectively implementing the international legal framework, as reflected in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, as well as other efforts by the international community at the global, regional and national levels. Approximately 7 million tonnes of tuna and tuna-like species are harvested yearly. These migratory tuna species account for 20 percent of the value of all marine capture fisheries and over 8 percent of all globally traded seafood. With that information in mind, we need to recognize the critical role of tuna to sustainable development, food security, economic opportunity, and livelihoods of people around the world.
At present, over 96 countries are involved in the conservation and management of tuna that has an annual value of almost 10 billion USD, at landing, and some FAO relevant programmes have started giving positive results in reducing overfishing.
The German Ministry for Ministry for Food and Agriculture (BMEL) is involved in the EU delegation of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT) for the sustainable management of tuna stocks.
Further information can be found under the following links: