Since July 29 and until September 28, Ecuador has been under the first ban on tuna fishing in the Eastern Pacific Ocean (EPO).
Purse seine vessels with a carrying capacity of over 182 metric tons (IATTC capacity classes 4, 5, 6) that fish for tuna in the Eastern Pacific Ocean (EPO) are eligible for this conservation and management measure.
Of the vessels of this type registered with the Undersecretariat of Fisheries Resources, 53 will be subject to the first ban period, from July 29 to September 28, 2012, and 46 vessels will be subject to the second ban, from November 18 to January 18, 2013.
During the closed season, vessels in port may receive maintenance at the designated docks and may then go out fishing once the season is over.
The Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission, IATTC, promotes the coordination of scientific research on the abundance, biology and biometry in the Convention Area of the fish stocks covered by this Convention, especially tuna and, as necessary, associated or dependent species.
According to the Vice Minister of Aquaculture and Fisheries, Guillermo Morán Velázquez, the Fisheries Administration takes these measures for the conservation and management of the resource, relying on international organizations that seek its sustainability.
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