The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) meeting in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania:

Noting that the objective of the ISSF is to facilitate the effective conservation and management of tuna resources and the ecosystem to which they belong;

Recalling that the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) is responsible for monitoring the fisheries for tuna and other tuna-like species taken by vessels fishing in the eastern Pacific Ocean (EPO), conducting scientific studies of the population of these species and to make recommendations to the governments of the High Contracting Parties to the IATTC which are designed to maintain the populations of tunas and tuna-like species at levels of abundance that can sustain maximum catches year after year;

Noting that the IATTC scientific staff has comprehensive catch, biological and fishing effort data for tuna in the EPO and that this information has been used by Commission scientists to conduct scientifically sound and broadly accepted assessment for the stocks of tunas in the EPO;

Noting further that the IATTC had tried, and failed over a period of two years, to enact resolutions on the conservation of EPO bigeye, so that a conservation measure for this species was not in place for 2008;

Noting further; that the IATTC met in June 2009, for the Annual Meeting, and enacted Resolution C-09-01, which contains a conservation measures for EPO tuna species, effective in the years 2009, 2010 and 2011;

Noting further, that the conservation measure specified in IATTC Resolution C-09-01 for EPO tuna species is less than the conservation measures recommended by the scientific staff;

Determined to address the conservation and management of EPO tunas as recommended by the IATTC scientific staff;

Resolves to:

1. For the years 2009 – 2011 adopt the conservation measure that processors, traders, importers, transporters and others involved in the seafood industry refrain from transactions in tuna caught in the EPO after September 1, 2009 from any vessel that does not comply with the terms of the IATTC Resolution C-09-01.  2. In the years 2010 and 2011, ISSF will review the effectiveness of IATTC Resolution C-09-01 in conjunction with the findings of the IATTC scientific staff on the status of the bigeye stock.

3. This Resolution rescinds and replaces ISSF Resolutions 09 – 02 and 09 – 05.

Download: Resolution 09-07