At its eighteenth annual meeting in 2011, the CCSBT agreed that a Management Procedure (MP) would be used to guide the setting of the SBT global total allowable catch (TAC) to ensure that the SBT spawning stock biomass achieves the CCSBT’s rebuilding targets.
Under the adopted MPs, the TAC is set in three year periods. The TAC for 2014 was 12,449 tonnes, the TAC for 2015 to 2017 was 14,647 tonnes, the TAC for 2018 to 2020 was 17,647 tonnes and the TAC for 2021 to 2023 is also 17,647 tonnes.
The effective catch limits for Members and Cooperating Non-Members of the CCSBT from 2015 to 2023 is summarised below. In addition, some flexibility is provided to Members for limited carry-forward of unfished allocations between quota years. This flexibility is described in the Resolution on Limited Carry-forward of Unfished Annual Total Available Catch of Southern Bluefin Tuna.
Effective Catch Limits (in tonnes) to Members
| 2015 | 2016-2017 | 2018-2020 | 2021-2023 | ||
| Japan | 4,847 | 4,737 | 6,117*1 | 6,197.4*2 | |
| Australia | 5,665 | 5,665 | 6,165 | 6,238.4*2 | |
| Republic of Korea | 1,140 | 1,140 | 1,240.5 | 1,256.8 | |
| Fishing Entity of Taiwan | 1,140 | 1,140 | 1,240.5 | 1,256.8 | |
| New Zealand | 1,000 | 1,000 | 1,088 | 1,102.5 | |
| Indonesia | 750 | 750 | 1,023*1 | 1,122.8*2 | |
| South Africa | 40 | 150 | 450*1 | 455.3*2 | |
| European Union | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 |
*1 These figures reflect the voluntary transfers of 21t that Japan is providing to Indonesia and 27t that Japan is providing to South Africa for the 2018 to 2020 quota block.
*2 These figures reflect: (1) voluntary transfers of 21t that Japan is providing to Indonesia and 27t that Japan is providing to South Africa for the 2021 to 2023 quota block; (2) a voluntary transfer of 7t that Australia is providing to Indonesia for the 2021 to 2023 quota block; and (3) a special temporary allowance of 80t to Indonesia for 2021 to 2023.
Allocations (in tonnes) to Cooperating Non-Members (CNMs)
| 2015 | 2016-2017*3 | ||
Philippines | 45 | 45 |
*3 Ceased being a Cooperating Non-Member on 12 October 2017.
In addition to allocations for Members and CNMs, 10 tonnes was set aside as a Research Mortality Allowance (RMA) each year from 2015 to 2017 and 6 tonnes has been set aside for RMA each year from 2018 to 2023. Furthermore, from 2018, Members are required to account for all fishing mortality of southern bluefin tuna (including commercial fishing, discards, recreational catches and artisanal fishing etc.) from within their allocation of the TAC. Finally, for the 2018-2020 quota block an allowance of 306 tonnes was set aside to account for IUU catch by Non-Members and for 2021-2023, the new Management Procedure (the Cape Town Procedure) incorporates plausible IUU catches within the reference set of operating models used for testing and for tuning the Procedure to the CCSBT’s management objectives.
Additional information on the total catch and its allocation is provided in paragraphs 83 to 108 of the CCSBT 29 Report.
