After several years of being a cooperating non-member, Mozambique has now been welcomed as the 30th member of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission. The good news was officially announced in an IOTC circular released on the 16th February; however the instrument of acceptance of the Agreement by Mozambique was received by theDirector-General of the FAO on 13th February 2012.

The IOTC’s main objective is to promote cooperation amongst its members with a view of ensuring the conservation and optimal utilization of stocks covered by this Agreement, and encouraging sustainable development of fisheries based on such stocks.

By officially becoming a member, the government of Mozambique is further committing to the sustainable management of its tuna stocks through the encouragement, recommendation and coordination of research and development activities, the adoption, and conservation and management measures to ensure the conservation of the stocks as well as the review of the economic and social aspects of the fisheries based on the stocks covered by the Agreement.