The Global Tuna Alliance (GTA) recently spoke up for its partners — global retailers and brands such as Carrefour, Lidl France and Princes — advocating for labour standards in Indian Ocean tuna fisheries with Lives On The Line: Protect Fishers campaign at the 29th Session of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) on April 13–17, 2025.
Although a lengthy development process lies ahead, the Commission recognized market and fishing community expectations and took its first tentative steps toward developing an IOTC labour standard.
One of the GTA’s partners’ modest goals for this session was for the IOTC to initiate the development of draft standards drawn from international frameworks such as the ILO188 convention as a necessary response to reported widespread human rights abuses in Indian Ocean tuna fisheries.
Despite disappointing resistance from some IOTC members, we were pleased that the Commission responded positively to a proposal by the European Union and tasked the Secretariat with benchmarking the current Indian Ocean labour standards. It is expected that the results of this study will inform the tasking of a working group by the Commission in 2026.
Wetjens Dimmlich, who represented the GTA Partners at the IOTC meeting, said, “I am greatly encouraged that the members of the Commission have taken this important first step by tasking the Secretariat with benchmarking existing labour standards across the IOTC area. This initiative marks a clear recognition of the need to address crew welfare more systematically. I’m optimistic that this study will lay a strong foundation for the development of a future IOTC measure that ensures decent working conditions for all those who work at sea. GTA partners now have an important role to play in acknowledging and rewarding those fleets that proactively implement their own measures during the likely extended IOTC development process.”
The GTA notes that a number of IOTC members, who are also members of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC), will be stepping in their own footprints on this journey after adopting minimum crew conditions in 2024, and we look to those members to continue to provide the leadership they have demonstrated in the Pacific.
The GTA and its partners stand ready to support and recognize the IOTC in this undertaking, which will align the IOTC with other RFMOs that are prioritizing both the health of the tuna stocks and the well-being of the people who harvest them.
GTA partners remain committed to improving working conditions for tuna fishers in the Indian Ocean and beyond in line with growing consumer demand and partner expectations. The support received from many delegations and observers provides the foundation for future advocacy on behalf of some of the largest international supply chain companies.
Dimmlich acknowledges the significance of the benchmarking study, noting that “by taking just these first steps and initiating this critical conversation and process, the IOTC has demonstrated its commitment to socially responsible tuna supply chains. This clear indication of intent is important to the GTA partners, which source tuna from this region.”
The GTA partners call on IOTC delegates to demonstrate greater urgency in setting labour standards at future sessions and to prioritize the welfare of the people who make fishing industries possible.
Fisheries management continues to challenge IOTC members.
In addition to the challenges faced on labour standards, the GTA was surprised by the lack of traction over many years of effort on other critical sustainability issues, with negotiations on skipjack catch limits taking an excessive amount of delegates’ time away from other issues. This highlights the need by the Commission to develop mutually agreed allocation mechanisms for skipjack and other tuna species. It is encouraging to note that a new timeframe through to 2027 to develop these mechanisms was agreed.
Uncertainty surrounding the recent yellowfin tuna stock assessment unfortunately undermined progress on other key yellowfin tuna management issues, with proposals on catch limits being deferred until reviews of the stock assessment data and methods have been completed and updated Scientific Committee advice provided in December. Disappointingly, the development of the yellowfin tuna management procedure (aka harvest strategy) is also delayed, with key processes seemingly stalled until the questions on the assessment are resolved. GTA and partners continue to demand the adoption of a management procedure for yellowfin as a critical indicator of sustainable management.
These persistent issues underscore the need for stronger market pressure and broader industry participation in promoting and rewarding responsible fisheries management.
To assist us and help ensure amplified market pressure, GTA urges tuna supply chain companies and retailers to join the GTA to strengthen our collective voice and drive meaningful change in the management of our oceans’ fisheries.
“The recent IOTC meeting has shown that regional fisheries management organizations can respond, albeit slowly and somewhat reluctantly, to changes in the world around them,” Daniel Suddaby, Executive Director, Global Tuna Alliance, said.
“But the market has the power to be the catalyst for accelerating that change. That’s why the Global Tuna Alliance exists: to unify responsible retailers and tuna buyers around a common vision of tuna fisheries and ecosystems that are healthy and resilient as a result of responsible supply chains and best practice management. Our partners are already driving transformation, but they can’t do it alone. We call upon other retailers and tuna buyers worldwide to stand with them — join the GTA and help lead the change our oceans and people so urgently need.”
