Recommendation 24/11 of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) addresses marine pollution from fishing activities in the Indian Ocean, with a particular focus on abandoned, lost, or discarded fishing gear and other vessel-generated waste. The Recommendation encourages Contracting Parties and Cooperating non-Contracting Parties to prevent and retrieve lost fishing gear, prohibit plastic discharges, control other vessel discharges in line with international standards, and promote reporting, training, and research on marine pollution. It tasks the IOTC Secretariat with developing reporting standards for gear recovery, allows limited safety-related exceptions, and provides for review in 2027 to consider expanding its scope, without prejudice to existing measures on fish aggregating devices.
2024-01-01