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The Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC),
CONSIDERING that albacore (Thunnus alalunga) is one of the most important species managed by IOTC;
NOTING that the IOTC Working Party on Temperate Tunas and the IOTC Scientific Committee recognised that the current level of catches is likely to result in further declines in albacore biomass, productivity and catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE);
FURTHER NOTING that the impacts of the piracy in western Indian Ocean have resulted in the displacement of a substantial portion of the longline fishing effort into the traditional albacore fishing grounds in the southern and eastern Indian Ocean and therefore it is likely that catch-and-effort on albacore will decline in the future unless management action is taken;
BEARING IN MIND that the albacore stock in the Indian Ocean is currently subject to overfishing (current fishing mortality > fishing mortality allowing the stock to deliver MSY) and that the fishing mortality rate needs to be reduced below the 2010 level to ensure that the fishing mortality in 2020 does not exceed the fishing mortality allowing the stock to deliver MSY;
CONSIDERING the recommendations of the 15th Session of the IOTC Scientific Committee held in Mahé, Seychelles from 13–15 December 2012;
ADOPTS in accordance with paragraph 1 of Article IX of the IOTC Agreement, that the Commission shall request the IOTC Scientific Committee:
To compile, review, discuss and assess, during the year 2014 and with the support of all the concerned CPCs, the coverage and the quality of all available data on catches and fishing effort related to albacore fisheries in the IOTC area of competence;
Through its IOTC Working Party on Temperate Tunas (WPTmT), to examine in relevant 2014 sessions the state of albacore stock, by considering even common working sessions with the ICCAT scientific community to improve the knowledge on the interrelation between the Indian Ocean and Atlantic albacore populations; and
To advise the Commission, by end of 2014 at the latest:
