NEWS: India approved accession to SIOFA, moving from Cooperating Non-Contracting Party to full Contracting Party status.

ABOUT SIOFA

• A Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (RFMO) for conserving and sustainably managing non-tuna fishery resources in the high seas of the Southern Indian Ocean.
• Concluded: 2006 in Rome under FAO auspices.
• Entered into force: 2012.
• Headquarters: Saint-Denis, Réunion Island, France.

KEY FEATURES:

• Covers international waters beyond national Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs).
• Regulates deep-sea fish, toothfish, orange roughy, molluscs and crustaceans.
• Uses scientific assessments to guide catch limits, fishing gear restrictions and protection of Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems (VMEs).
• Authorises boarding and inspection to combat Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing.
• Full members participate in binding conservation decisions and catch-allocation negotiations.

SIOFA vs IOTC:

• SIOFA: Primarily manages non-tuna fishery resources.
• IOTC: Manages tuna and tuna-like species in the Indian Ocean.