Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission facts for kids
Logo of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission
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| Abbreviation | IATTC / Spanish: Comisión Interamericana del Atún Tropical (CIAT) |
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| Formation | 1949 |
| Type | tuna regional fishery management organisation |
| Legal status | International organization |
| Purpose | Fisheries management |
| Headquarters | La Jolla, San Diego, United States |
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Area served
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Eastern Pacific Ocean |
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Membership
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21 members |
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Director
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Arnulfo Franco |
The Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (often called IATTC) is an international group. Its main job is to protect and manage tuna and other ocean animals in the eastern Pacific Ocean. It helps make sure there are enough fish for the future.
Contents
How the IATTC Started
The IATTC was created by an agreement between the United States and Costa Rica. This agreement was signed on May 31, 1949. Over time, many other countries joined this important group. Each country can have up to four representatives, called Commissioners.
In 2003, the countries that are part of the IATTC signed a new agreement called the Antigua Convention. This made the IATTC even stronger. Most countries approved this new agreement between 2004 and 2009. The U.S. approved it in February 2016.
The main office of the IATTC is in La Jolla, a town near San Diego, California, in the United States.
Who Belongs to the IATTC?
The IATTC has many member countries and groups. These members work together to protect tuna and other marine life. An asterisk (*) next to a country means they have officially approved the main agreement that created the IATTC.
- Belize
- Canada* (Canada was a member but left in 1983)
- China
- Colombia*
- Costa Rica*
- Ecuador*
- El Salvador*
- European Union
- France*
- Guatemala*
- Japan*
- Kiribati
- South Korea*
- Mexico*
- Nicaragua*
- Panama*
- Peru*
- Chinese Taipei
- United States*
- Vanuatu*
- Venezuela*
The IATTC also plays a big role in a program called the International Dolphin Conservation Program (IDCP). This program helps protect dolphins. The IATTC even has an office that helps run this program.
Protecting Dolphins in Fishing
One of the main goals of the IDCP is to stop dolphins from accidentally getting caught in fishing nets. This happens when fishing boats use large nets called purse-seine nets to catch tuna. The program aims to reduce dolphin deaths to almost zero.
This program has been very successful! For example, in 2013, almost all fishing trips (95.4%) that caught tuna near dolphins resulted in no harm to the dolphins. The total number of dolphins accidentally killed in fishing has dropped a lot. In 1986, about 132,000 dolphins died. By 2013, this number was only about 800.
Other Countries Working with IATTC
Some countries are not full members but still work with the IATTC. They are called "Cooperating Non-Members."
Researching Tropical Tunas
The IATTC has a special place called the Achotines Laboratory. This lab is very important for studying how tropical tunas grow when they are very young. It's one of the only places in the world designed to study the early life cycle of these fish.
Tunas live in the open ocean, far from land. This makes them hard to study in their natural home. Scientists don't know much about how tunas reproduce or what their eggs, tiny larvae, and young fish look like. That's why the IATTC built the Achotines Laboratory. It's a unique place where scientists can learn about these important parts of tuna biology. While tunas are the main focus, the lab can also be used for other ocean and land science research.
See also
