Report of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission for the year 1992

ENGLISH: The Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission operates under the authority and direction of a convention originally entered into by Costa Rica and the United States. The convention, which carne into force in 1950, is open to adherence by other governments whose nationals fish for tropical tunas in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Under this provision Panama adhered in 1953, Ecuador in 1961, Mexico in 1964, Canada in 1968, Japan in 1970, and France and Nicaragua in 1973. Ecuador withdrew from the Commission in 1968, Mexico in 1978, Costa Rica in 1979, and Canada in 1984. Costa Rica re-adhered to the convention in 1989, and Vanuatu and Venezuela joined the Commission in 1990 and 1992, respectively. The Commission held its 50th meeting in La Jolla, California, USA, on June 16-18, 1992. SPANISH: La Comisión Interamericana del Atún Tropical funciona bajo la autoridad y dirección de un convenio suscrito originalmente por Costa Rica y los Estados Unidos de América. El convenio, vigente desde 1950, está abierto a la afiliación de cualquier país cuyos ciudadanos pesquen atunes tropicales en el Océano Pacífico oriental. Bajo esta estipulación, la República de Panamá se afilió en 1953, Ecuador en 1961, México en 1964, Canadá en 1968, Japón en 1970, y Francia y Nicaragua en 1973. Ecuador se retiró de la Comisión en 1968, México en 1978, Costa Rica en 1979, y Canadá en 1984. Costa Rica se adhirió de nuevo al Convenio en 1989; y Vanuatu y Venezuela se hicieron miembros de la Comisión en 1990 y 1992, respectivamente. La Comisión celebró su quincuagésima reunión en La Jolla, California, EE.UU., del 16 al 18 de junio de 1992. (PDF contains 316 pages.)

Report of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission for the year 1993

ENGLISH: The Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) operates under the authority and direction of a convention originally entered into by Costa Rica and the United States. The convention, which carne into force in 1950, is open to adherence by other governments whose nationals fish for tropical tunas and tuna-like species in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Under this provision Panama adhered in 1953, Ecuador in 1961, Mexico in 1964, Canada in 1968, Japan in 1970, France and Nicaragua in 1973, Vanuatu in 1990, and Venezuela in 1992. Ecuador withdrew from the IATTC in 1968, Mexico in 1978, Costa Rica in 1979, and Canada in 1984. Costa Rica readhered to the convention in 1989. The Commission held its 51st meeting in Port Vila, Vanuatu, on June 8-10, 1993. SPANISH: La Comisión Interamericana del Atún Tropical (CIAT) funciona bajo la autoridad y dirección de un convenio suscrito originalmente por Costa Rica y los Estados Unidos de América. El convenio, vigente desde 1950, está abierto a la afiliación de cualquier país cuyos ciudadanos pesquen atunes tropicales y especies afines en el Océano Pacífico oriental. Bajo esta estipulación, la República de Panamá se afilió en 1953, Ecuador en 1961, México en 1964, Canadá en 1968, Japón en 1970, Francia y Nicaragua en 1973, Vanuatu en 1990, y Venezuela en 1992. Ecuador se retiró de la CIAT en 1968, México en 1978, Costa Rica en 1979, y Canadá en 1984. Costa Rica se adhirió de nuevo al Convenio en 1989. La Comisión celebró su 51ª reunión en Port Vila (Vanuatu) del 8 al 10 de junio de 1993. (PDF contains 316 pages.)

Report of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission for the year 1994

ENGLISH: The Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) operates under the authority and direction of a convention originally entered into by Costa Rica and the United States. The convention, which came into force in 1950, is open to adherence by other governments whose nationals fish for tropical tunas and tuna-like species in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Under this provision Panama adhered in 1953, Ecuador in 1961, Mexico in 1964, Canada in 1968, Japan in 1970, France and Nicaragua in 1973, Vanuatu in 1990, and Venezuela in 1992. Ecuador withdrew from the IATTC in 1968, Mexico in 1978, and Canada in 1984. The Commission held its 53rd meeting in Cumaná, Venezuela, on June 7-8, 1994. SPANISH: La Comisión Interamericana del Atún Tropical (CIAT) funciona bajo la autoridad ydirección de un convenio suscrito originalmente por Costa Rica y los Estados Unidos de América. El convenio, vigente desde 1950, está abierto a la afiliación de cualquier país cuyos ciudadanos pesquen atunes tropicales y especies afines en el Océano Pacífico oriental. Bajo esta estipulación, la República de Panamá seafilióen 1953, Ecuadoren 1961, México en 1964, Canadáen 1968,Japónen 1970, FranciayNicaragua en 1973, Vanuatu en 1990, y Venezuela en 1992. Ecuador se retiró de la CIAT en 1968, México en 1978, y Canadá en 1984. La Comisión celebró su 53a reunión en Cumaná (Venezuela) el 7 y 8 de junio de 1994. (PDF contains 296 pages.)

Report of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission for the year 1995

ENGLISH: The Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) operates under the authority and direction of a convention originally entered into by Costa Rica and the United States. The convention, which came into force in 1950, is open to adherence by other governments whose nationals fish for tropical tunas and tuna-like species in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Under this provision Panama adhered in 1953, Ecuador in 1961, Mexico in 1964, Canada in 1968, Japan in 1970, France and Nicaragua in 1973, Vanuatu in 1990, and Venezuela in 1992. Ecuador withdrew from the IATTC in 1968, Mexico in 1978, and Canada in 1984. The IATTC held its 55th meeting in La Jolla, California, USA, on June 13-15, 1995. SPANISH: La Comisión Interamericana del Atún Tropical (CIAT) funciona bajo la autoridad ydirección de un convenio suscrito originalmente por Costa Rica y los Estados Unidos de América. El convenio, vigente desde 1950, está abierto a la afiliación de cualquier país cuyos ciudadanos pesquen atunes tropicales y especies afines en el Océano Pacífico oriental. Bajo esta estipulación, la República de Panamá seafilióen 1953, Ecuadoren 1961, México en 1964, Canadáen 1968,Japónen 1970, FranciayNicaragua en 1973, Vanuatu en 1990, y Venezuela en 1992. Ecuador se retiró de la CIAT en 1968, México en 1978, y Canadá en 1984. La CIAT celebró su 55a reunión en La Jolla, California (EE.DU.) del 13 al15 de junio de 1995. (PDF contains 336 pages.)

Report of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission for the year 1996

ENGLISH: The Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) operates under the authority and direction of a convention originally entered into by Costa Rica and the United States. The convention, which came into force in 1950, is open to adherence by other governments whose nationals fish for tropical tunas and tuna-like species in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Under this provision Panama adhered in 1953, Ecuador in 1961, Mexico in 1964, Canada in 1968, Japan in 1970, France and Nicaragua in 1973, Vanuatu in 1990, and Venezuela in 1992. Ecuador withdrew from the IATTC in 1968, Mexico in 1978, and Canada in 1984. The IATTC held its 57th meeting in La Jolla, California, USA, on October 21-23, 1996. SPANISH: La Comisión Interamericana del Atún Tropical (CIAT) funciona bajo la autoridad y dirección de un convenio suscrito originalmente por Costa Rica y los Estados Unidos de América. El convenio, vigente desde 1950, está abierto a la afiliación de cualquier país cuyos ciudadanos pesquen atunes tropicales y especies afines en el Océano Pacífico oriental. Bajo esta estipulación, la República de Panamá seafilióen 1953, Ecuador en 1961, México en 1964, Canadá en 1968, Japón en 1970, Francia y Nicaragua en 1973, Vanuatu en 1990, y Venezuela en 1992. Ecuador se retiró de la CIAT en 1968, México en 1978, y Canadá en 1984. La CIAT celebró su 57a reunión en La Jolla, California (EE.DU.) del 21 a123 de octubre de 1996. (PDF contains 360 pages.)

Report of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission for the year 1997

ENGLISH: The Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) operates under the authority and direction of a convention originally entered into by Costa Rica and the United States. The convention, which came into force in 1950, is open to adherence by other governments whose nationals fish for tropical tunas and tuna-like species in the eastern Pacific Ocean (EPO). Under this provision Panama adhered in 1953, Ecuador in 1961, Mexico in 1964, Canada in 1968, Japan in 1970, France and Nicaragua in 1973, Vanuatu in 1990, Venezuela in 1992, and EI Salvador in 1997. Mexico withdrew from the IATTC in 1978 and Canada in 1984. The 58th meeting of the IATTC was held in San Jose, Costa Rica, on June 3-4, 1997. SPANISH: La Comisión Interamericana del Atún Tropical (CIAT) funciona bajo la autoridad y dirección de un convenio suscrito originalmente por Costa Rica y los Estados Unidos de América. El convenio, vigente desde 1950, está abierto ala afiliación de cualquier país cuyos ciudadanos pesquen atunes tropicales y especies afines en el Océano Pacifico oriental (OPO). Bajo esta estipulación, la República de Panamá seafilió en 1953, Ecuador en 1961, México en 1964, Canadá en 1968, Japón en 1970, Francia y Nicaragua en 1973, Vanuatu en 1990, Venezuela en 1992, y El Salvador en 1997. México se retiro de la CIAT en 1978, y Canadá en 1984. La CIAT celebró su 58' reunión en San Jose de Costa Rica el 3 y 4 de junio de 1997. (PDF contains 310 pages.)

Report of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission for the year 1998

ENGLISH: The Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) operates under the authority and direction of a convention originally entered into by Costa Rica and the United States. The convention, which came into force in 1950, is open to adherence by other governments whose nationals fish for tropical tunas and tuna-like species in the eastern Pacific Ocean (EPO). Under this provision Panama adhered in 1953, Ecuador in 1961, Mexico in 1964, Canada in 1968, Japan in 1970, France and Nicaragua in 1973, Vanuatu in 1990, Venezuela in 1992, and El Salvador in 1997. Canada withdrew from the IATTC in 1984. The 60th meeting of the IATTC was held in La Jolla, California, USA, on February 7, 1998. SPANISH: La Comisión Interamericana del Atún Tropical (CIAT) funciona bajo la autoridad y dirección de un convenio suscrito originalmente por Costa Rica y los Estados Unidos de América. El convenio, vigente desde 1950, está abierto ala afiliación de cualquier país cuyos ciudadanos pesquen atunes tropicales y especies afines en el Océano Pacifico oriental (OPO). Bajo esta estipulación, la República de Panamá seafilió en 1953, Ecuador en 1961, México en 1964, Canadá en 1968, Japón en 1970, Francia y Nicaragua en 1973, Vanuatu en 1990, Venezuela en 1992, y El Salvador en 1997. México se retiro de la CIAT en 1978, y Canadá en 1984. La 60a reunión de la CIAT tuvo lugar el 7 de febrero de 1998. (PDF contains 358 pages.)

Report of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission for the year 1999

ENGLISH: The Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) operates under the authority and direction of a convention originally entered into by Costa Rica and the United States. The convention, which came into force in 1950, is open to adherence by other governments whose nationals fish for tropical tunas and tuna-like species in the eastern Pacific Ocean (EPO). Under this provision Panama adhered in 1953, Ecuador in 1961, Mexico in 1964, Canada in 1968, Japan in 1970, France and Nicaragua in 1973, Vanuatu in 1990, Venezuela in 1992, and El Salvador in 1997. Canada withdrew from the IATTC in 1984. The 63rd meeting of the IATTC was held in Guayaquil, Ecuador, on June 8-10,1999. SPANISH: La Comisión Interamericana del Atún Tropical (CIAT) funciona bajo la autoridad y dirección de un convenio suscrito originalmente por Costa Rica y los Estados Unidos de América. El convenio, vigente desde 1950, está abierto ala afiliación de cualquier país cuyos ciudadanos pesquen atunes tropicales y especies afines en el Océano Pacifico oriental (OPO). Bajo esta estipulación, la República de Panamá seafilió en 1953, Ecuador en 1961, México en 1964, Canadá en 1968, Japón en 1970, Francia y Nicaragua en 1973, Vanuatu en 1990, Venezuela en 1992, y El Salvador en 1997. México se retiro de la CIAT en 1978, y Canadá en 1984. La 63a reunión de la CIAT tuvo lugar del 8 al 10 de junio de 1999 en Guayaquil (Ecuador). (PDF contains 184 pages.)

Estimating the underwater shape of tuna longlines with micro-bathythermographs

An estimation method for the three-dimensional underwater shape of tuna longlines is developed, using measurements of depth obtained from micro-bathythermographs (BTs) attached to the main line at equally spaced intervals. The shape of the main line is approximated by a model which consists of a chain of unit length lines (folding-rule model), where the junction points are placed at the observed depths. Among the infinite number of possible shapes, the most likely shape is considered to be the smoothest one that can be obtained with a numerical optimization algorithm. To validate the method, a series of experimental longline operations were conducted in the equatorial region of the eastern Pacific Ocean, using 13 or 14 micro-BTs per basket of main line. Concurrent observations of oceanographic conditions (currents and temperature structure) were obtained. The shape of the main line can be calculated at arbitrary times during operations. Shapes were consistent with the current structure. On the equator, the line was elevated significantly by the Equatorial Undercurrent. It is shown that the shape of main line depends primarily upon the vertical shear and direction of the current relative to the gear. Time sequences of calculated shapes reveals that observed periodic (1-2 hours) oscillations in depth of the gear was caused by swinging movements of the main line. The shortening rate of the main line is an important parameter for formulating the shape of the longline, and its precise measurement is desirable.

Organization, functions, and achievements of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission

ENGLISH: The Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) operates under the authority and direction of a Convention originally entered into by the governments of Costa Rica and the United States. The Convention, which came into force in 1950, is open to the adherence by other governments whose nationals participate in the fisheries for tropical tunas in the eastern Pacific Ocean. The member nations of the Commission now are t in addition to Costa Rica and the United States, Canada, France, Japan, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama.This report is a description of the organization, functions, and achievements of the Commission. It has been prepared to provide in a convenient format answers to requests for information concerning the Commission. It replaces a similar, earlier report (Carroz, 1965), which is now largely outdated. SPANISH: La Comisión Interamericana del Atún Tropical (CIAT) funciona bajo la autoridad y dirección de un Convenio firmado originalmente por los gobiernos de Costa Rica y los Estados Unidos de America. El Convenio, que entro en vigencia en 1950, se encuentra libre para que otros gobiernos cuyos ciudadanos participen en la pesca de atunes tropicales en el Océano Pacifico oriental se afilien a el. Las naciones miembros de la Comisión, además de Costa Rica y los Estados Unidos, son Cañada, Francia, Japón, México, Nicaragua y Panamá. Este informe es una descripción de la organización, funciones y resultados de la Comisión. Ha sido preparado para suministrar en forma conveniente respuestas a preguntas sobre la Comisión. Reemplaza un informe anterior similar (Carroz 1965), que ya es anticuado en su mayor parte.

Organization, functions, and achievements of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission

ENGLISH: The Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) operates under the authority and direction of a Convention originally entered into by the governments of Costa Rica and the United states. The Convention, which came into force in 1950, is open to the adherence by other governments whose nationals participate in the fisheries for tropical tunas in the eastern Pacific Ocean. The member nations of the Commission now are France. Japan, Nicaragua. Panama, and the United States. This report is a description of the organization, functions. and achievements of the Commission. It has been prepared to provide in a convenient format answers to requests for information concerning the Commission. It replaces similar, earlier reports (Carroz, 1965; Spec. Rep., 1), which are now largely outdated. SPANISH: La Comisión Interamericana del Atún Tropical (CIAT) funciona bajo la autoridad y dirección de un Convenio firmado originalmente por los gobiernos de Costa Rica y los Estados Unidos de America. El Convenio, Que entre en vigencia en 1950, se encuentra libre para Que otros gobiernos cuyos ciudadanos participan en la pesca de los atunes tropicales en el Océano Pacifico oriental se afilien a 61. Las naciones actuales que son miembros de la Comisión son: Francia, Japón, Nicaragua, Panamá y los Estados Unidos. Este informe es una descripci6n de la organización, funciones y resultados de la Comisión. Se ha preparado para suministrar en forma conveniente, informaci6n sobre la Comisión. Este informe renueva otros anteriores similares (Carroz, 1965; CIAT, Inf. Esp., 1) que en su mayor parte determinados.

Symposium on World tuna fisheries: commemorating the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission

The Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (lA TTC) came into existence in 1950, after its convention, signed by representatives ofCosta Rica and the United States in 1949, was ratified. It was the first international tuna organization, and only the third international fisheries organization, whose staff has had the responsibility for performing scientific research, the others being the International Pacific Halibut Commission, established in 1923, and the International Pacific Salmon Fisheries Commission, established in 1937. The current members of the IATTC are Costa Rica, Ecuador, EI Salvador, France, Guatemala, Japan, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, the United States, Vanuatu, and Venezuela. The first Director ofthe IATTC was Dr. Milner B. Schaefer, who was in that position from 1950 to 1963. He was followed by Dr. John L. Kask (1963-1969), Dr. James Joseph (1969-1999), and Dr. Robin L. Allen (1999-present). The success ofthe IATIC showed that it was possible to carry out research and management on an international, high-seas fishery successfully. Since then other international organizations for tuna management, including the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (1969), the Forum Fisheries Agency (1979), the Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna (1994), and the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (1996), were established. Appropriately, the 50th anniversary celebration was held in Costa Rica, one of the two charter members of the IATTC. Persons who have held important positions in international fishery management in various parts ofthe world spoke at the celebration. Their presentations, except for that describing the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission, are reproduced in this volume.

Organization, functions, and achievements of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission

This report is a description of the organization, functions, and achievements of the IATTC. It has been prepared to provide, in a convenient format, answers to requests for information concerning the IATTC. It replaces similar, earlier reports (Carroz, 1965; IATTC Spec. Rep., 1 and 5), which are now largely outdated. In order to make each section of the report independent of the others, some aspects of the IATTC are described in more than one section. For example, work on the early life history of tunas financed by the Overseas Fishery Cooperation Foundation of Japan is mentioned in the subsection entitled Finance, the subsection entitled Biology of tunas and billfishes, and the section entitled RELATIONS WITH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS. Due to space constraints, however, it is not possible to describe the IATTC's activities in detail in this report. Additional information is available in publications of the IATTC, listed in Appendix 6, and in its web site, www.iattc.org. Many abbreviations are used in this report. The names of the organizations or the terms are written out the first time they are used, and, for convenience, they are also listed in the Glossary.

Bycatches of sharks in the tuna purse-seine fishery of the eastern Pacific Ocean reported by observers of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission, 1993-2004

Information on bycatches of sharks collected by observers of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) between 1993 and 2004 is presented in this data report. This report contains two sections. The first section summarizes information used by the staff of the IATTC to review and revise IATTC observers’ at-sea species identifications of Carcharhinus falciformis, C. limbatus, and C. longimanus. The revisions were based on 1) data collected on species-specific diagnostic characteristics as part of a special sampling program conducted between March 2000, and March 2001 and 2) a review of observers’ archival field notes for the 1993-2004 period. The second section summarizes the shark bycatches reported by IATTC observers between 1993 and 2004, incorporating the revisions of observers’ at-sea identifications. The IATTC-observed shark bycatch data are summarized as tables with annual tallies of observed bycatches and maps of the spatial distributions of the average bycatches per set and size compositions of the bycatches.