For instance, no progress was made on allocating yellowfin tuna to continue securing the long-term sustainable management of the fishery or on determining the precise fishing capacity in the Atlantic.

A last-minute bittersweet agreement on bluefin tuna

The 29th ordinary meeting of ICCAT took place from 17^th to 24^th November 2025 in Sevilla, Spain. This session saw the adoption of a new Total Allowable Catch (TAC) and allocation scheme for bluefin tuna. The new TAC of 48 403 tonnes represented an increase of nearly 20%, as the highest recommendation by ICCAT’s scientific committee (SCRS), as a result of the stock’s favourable health. ICCAT also decided to allow some new entrants in the fishery: Mauritania, Namibia, Panama and Senegal.

From the European industry, it is a mixed outcome, explains Javier Garat, President of Europêche: “The bluefin tuna TAC increase gives less additional quota than expected to European fishers, which have made tremendous efforts. Also, we cannot ignore the trade-offs: the EU has reduced its share to accommodate new claims, creating uncertainty in a fishery made up of a wide and diverse fleet, and creating a worrying precedent. We are especially concerned about Senegal’s new allocation, given the serious compliance issues raised this year regarding its management of tropical tuna quotas.”

New management measures adopted

On a positive note, ICCAT successfully adopted a management procedure, detailing long-term harvest strategies, on North Atlantic Swordfish and another one for western Atlantic skipjack tuna.

Concerning stagnation in the tropical tuna fishery

The high expectations from the tropical tuna fishing industry for ICCAT were all frustrated. European tuna fleets have long invested in the Atlantic fishery with a long-term vision: sustainable management is necessary to keep supplying consumers with healthy and affordable products while guaranteeing safe and dignified working conditions for their crews. Maintaining viable companies operating to the highest social, control and environmental standards, like the European ones, is vital.

At this year’s ICCAT meeting, three concrete decisions could have significantly strengthened that path: allocating the yellowfin TAC to prevent quota overshoots; increasing the bigeye TAC in line with SCRS advice, relieving fleets that have sacrificed heavily to rebuild the stock; and lifting the Fish Aggregating Device (FAD)-closure, a measure disproportionately affecting purse-seiners despite the absence of scientific evidence of its benefit for the stock. None of these issues reached an agreement.

Xavier Leduc, president of Europêche Tuna Group, deplores the lack of decisions: “Unfortunately, none of the tropical tuna pressing issues, including an allocation for yellowfin tuna and the elimination of the FAD moratorium, resulted in an agreement this year, leaving our European responsible fisheries more vulnerable. We urge ICCAT Parties to use the intersessional period to find balanced, science-based solutions that protect the fishery, the companies that depend on it, and the people whose livelihood is at stake. Behind our fishing companies stand men and women, fishers and onshore teams, port workers, shipyard staff and cannery employees, whose livelihoods depend on ICCAT’s decisions”.

Better compliance remains an aspiration, not yet an achievement

ICCAT adopted a resolution establishing a record of vessels over 20 meters. According to Anne-France Mattlet, director Europêche Tuna Group, this register does not allow for determining the actual fishing capacity in the region, which is essential to implement effective management measures: “Without crucial data on fish hold capacity in cubic meters, as recommended by the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation and applied in the Eastern Pacific, ICCAT cannot know the true capacity of the fleet. Understanding vessel capacity is essential to ensure adequate and sustainable management”.

Compliance procedures also remain weak. The current system struggles to track non-compliance effectively: there is no clear summary document, no follow-up mechanism, and no automated process to address violations. While the European Union’s proposal to streamline reporting and follow-up has been adopted, much work remains before ICCAT can ensure robust enforcement.

Shark management frustration

No consensus was reached on the many proposals aimed at improving shark management or reinforcing the fight against shark finning. The European fleet has applied the fins-naturally-attached policy for years and continues to call for a level playing field across the Atlantic.

“Do you want ICCAT to deal with sharks?” With this provocative question, ICCAT Chair Ernesto Peñas underscored the need for the organisation to demonstrate leadership to avoid being overshadowed by bodies such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). ICCAT has progressed for certain shark species, such as blue sharks, and need to keep this approach.

ICCAT steps up as BBNJ Agreement takes effect

Although progress is limited in certain areas, ICCAT has in previous years proven its efficiency in sustainably managing Atlantic tuna fisheries. The organisation is determined to build on these achievements and to safeguard its mandate, particularly in the context of the newly ratified BBNJ Agreement, a commitment reaffirmed in a new resolution.

Jérome Jourdain, member of the Europêche delegation in ICCAT, says: “ICCAT and other RFMOs bring decades of scientific expertise to sustainably manage high seas fisheries. Future measures under BBNJ must fully respect RFMO mandates. Otherwise we risk undoing decades of management and threatening fisheries’ vital contribution to global food security, recognized by the United Nations under the BBNJ Agreement”.

Press contacts:

Daniel Voces, Managing Director of Europêche: +32 489 26 81 07 daniel.voces@europeche.org

Anne-France Mattlet, Europêche Tuna Group Director: +33 6 78 11 63 01 anne-france.mattlet@europeche.org

EP Press Release – ICCAT 2025

The European fishing sector, represented by Europêche, unanimously condemns the practice of “finning” (cutting shark fins and throw mutilated bodies into the sea) by any fleet in the world. The EU fleet has never practiced finning, as evidenced by the fact that no EU fishing vessel has been sanctioned for this practice. Javier Garat, President of Europêche, declared, “In the European market, our consumers value, trade and eat the sharks’ meat. In fact, most of the revenue for the fleet comes from the selling of the meat and not the fins. Nothing is wasted”.  

According to Europêche, to guarantee the sustainable management of sharks, their fisheries are meticulously regulated by the EU and by UN bodies across all oceans. In international waters, blue shark caches represent more than 95% of the total shark landings. The latest scientific information shows that the population of this species is abundant and healthy in all oceans. Their fins are easily distinguishable, even separated from the body, due to its characteristic metallic blue coloration, the lack of spines at the base, and other factors. Therefore, fishery inspectors, and also traders, can easily make a visual identification.

As regards finning control, since 2013, the EU requires all sharks to be brought to port with their fins naturally attached. This rule must be respected by all EU fishing vessels operating across the world. According to the NGO community, the EU closed back then any loopholes in the EU system. In addition, once landed, the IUU policy requires national authorities to issue a catch certificate that accompanies the body of the shark and the fins up until the point that they reach the consumer. Furthermore, the widely ratified FAO Agreement on Port State Measures requires the verification and inspection of fishing vessels entering ports to ensure that they comply with the Law. 

On top of this, last year, the international community agreed to include nearly 100 species of sharks and rays under Appendix II of the Convention on International trade in Endangered Species of Wild fauna and flora (CITES). This will require an export permit, which will only be granted if the national authority verifies that: (i) the export is not detrimental to the survival of the species; and (ii) the specimens were not obtained in contravention of the national laws. 

Mr Garat concluded: “Our fishers have changed the way they operate to ensure the full traceability of shark fins. This has not been easy, and rather costly. We are certain that the new trade rules recently adopted by the international community will require further bureaucratic and economic efforts from the administrations and the sector. The Commission is therefore right in carrying out a fitness and data check before proposing new measures. Banning a perfectly legal and sustainable economic activity in Europe, would only cause financial losses to our companies and would deteriorate the situation in Asian markets.”  

Since 2019, the sector has been developing a fisheries improvement programme with a focus on swordfish and blue shark. This shows a clear commitment from the sector to improve science, mitigation techniques and increase fisheries observers on board with ultimate goal to obtain a MSC certification.

Press contacts:

Daniel Voces, Managing Director of Europêche: +32 489 26 81 07  daniel.voces@europeche.org

EP Press Release – Communication Shark Finning

After major efforts and sacrifices made by European purse seiners to restore the bigeye tuna stock, this week’s discussions unfortunately did not lead to the TAC increased allowed by the ICCAT Scientific Committee. Contracting parties decided to roll over the measures applied in 2022 and an intersessional period is already scheduled to discuss, in particular, the allocation of the TAC.

Anne-France Mattlet, Director of Europêche Tuna Group, declared: “This is unfortunately a missed occasion to increase opportunities for developing countries, as proposed by the EU. European seiners, which account for less than 30% of bigeye tuna catches in the Atlantic, faced the refusal of some ICCAT contracting parties, particularly Asian countries, the United States and Canada to increase the TAC despite a scientific advice that did allow it. »

Europêche welcomes the adoption of the first ICCAT long-term management procedure for a for Atlantic and Mediterranean bluefin tuna. This new procedure will provide better stability for European fishers who will benefit from an increase of TAC up to 40,570 tons annually until 2025.

With regard to shark management, Europêche notes with great disappointment that China and Japan opposed a veto to the recommendation on shark conservation in association with ICCAT managed fisheries, which included the obligation to provide more data to scientists and to land fins naturally attached to the body. European vessels have been applying such a policy since 2013.

Europêche has brought before the ICCAT the theft by Greenpeace of 30km of longlines and the associated catches, including, according to the organization, seven swordfish and a blue shark, a commercial species sustainably managed by ICCAT, as shown by the last stock assessment of 2015. Javier Garat, President of Europêche, said: “Longline fishing is subject to fishing authorisation and fishing quotas, and retention on board of catches must be subject to multiple declarations. We hope that the Greenpeace vessel has indeed been controlled by fishery inspectors in the first European harbour it reached. »

ICCAT parties agreed on management measures for South Atlantic shortfin mako starting in 2023 to support the sustainability of the fishery. The TAC was set to a maximum of 1,295 t until new scientific advice is provided in 2024. Garat commented: “We welcome ICCAT’s decisive action to strictly regulate this species that shows that there is no need to cut corners through CITES. In this regard, we call on the EU and national governments to revise their decision not to allow the commercialization of South Atlantic shortfin mako.”

Europêche agrees with the management measures agreed for both North and South Atlantic swordfish stocks setting TACs in accordance with scientific advice.

Finally, Europêche welcomes the ICCAT initiative, which makes it possible to launch an initial assessment and integration of the challenges of climate change and its consequences on fisheries in the ICCAT area.

Press contacts:

Daniel Voces, Managing Director of Europêche: +32 2 230 48 48 daniel.voces@europeche.org

Anne-France Mattlet, Europêche Tuna Group Director: anne-france.mattlet@europeche.org

EP Press Release – ICCAT 2022