UN's tuna commission meets in Oman

Muscat: The Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC), an organ of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), began five days of deliberations here on Saturday aimed at evaluating efforts to stem an alarming decline in tuna stocks in the Indian Ocean.

Representatives from countries of the Indian Ocean basin are attending the 12th session of the IOTC, which was established to encourage sustainable tuna fishing in the Indian Ocean.

A combination of overfishing and other factors are believed to be behind dwindling tuna catches in the region.

This trend is particularly hurtful to economies like Oman that has sizeable communities dependent on fishing for their livelihoods. Tuna is one of the most important commercial species for Omani fishermen.

Saturday's opening session was inaugurated by Yousuf Bin Alawi Bin Abdullah, Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs.

Oman has been a key player in the IOTC's tuna conservation efforts. Last year, the country joined a major multinational initiative to tag and release tuna along its lengthy coastline.