International Convention for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas in the United States

Article I

The area to which this Convention shall apply, hereinafter referred to as
the “Convention area”, shall be all waters of the Atlantic Ocean,
including the adjacent Seas.

Article II

Nothing in this Convention shall be considered as affecting the rights,
claims or views of any Contracting Party in regard to the limits of
territorial waters or the extent of jurisdiction over fisheries under
international law.

Article III

1. The Contracting Parties hereby agree to establish and maintain a
Commission to be known as the International Commission for the
Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, hereinafter referred to as “the
Commission”, which shall carry out the objectives set forth in this
Convention.

2. Each of the Contracting Parties shall be represented on the Commission
by not more than three Delegates. Such Delegates may be assisted by
experts and advisors.

3. Except as may otherwise be provided in this Convention, decisions of
the Commission shall be taken by a majority of the Contracting Parties,
each Contracting Party having one vote. Two-thirds of the Contracting
Parties shall constitute a quorum.

4. The Commission shall hold a regular meeting once every two years. A
special meeting may be called at any time at the request of a majority of
the Contracting Parties or by decision of the Council as constituted in
Article V.

5. At its first meeting, and thereafter at each regular meeting, the
Commission shall elect from among its Members a Chairman, a first Vice-
Chairman and a second Vice-Chairman who shall not be re-elected for more
than one term.

6. The meetings of the Commission and its subsidiary bodies shall be
public unless the Commission otherwise decides.

7. The official languages of the Commission shall be English, French and
Spanish.

8. The Commission shall have authority to adopt such rules of procedure
and financial regulations as are necessary to carry out its functions.

9. The Commission shall submit a report to the Contracting Parties every
two years on its work and findings and shall also inform any Contracting
Party, whenever requested, on any matter relating to the objectives of
the Convention.

Article IV

1. In order to carry out the objectives of this Convention the Commission
shall be responsible for the study of the populations of tuna and
tuna-like fishes (the Scombriformes with the exception of the families
Trichiuridae and Gempylidae and the genus Scomber) and such other species
of fishes exploited in tuna fishing in the Convention area as are not
under investigation by another international fishery organization. Such
study shall include research on the abundance, biometry and ecology of
the fishes; the oceanography of their environment; and the effects of
natural and human factors upon their abundance. The Commission, in
carrying out these responsibilities shall, insofar as feasible, utilise
the technical and scientific services of, and information from, official
agencies of the Contracting Parties and their political subdivisions and
may, when desirable, utilise the available services and information of
any public or private institution, organization or individual, and may
undertake within the limits of its budget independent research to
supplement the research work being done by governments, national
institutions or other international organizations.

2. The carrying out of the provisions in paragraph 1 of this Article
shall include:

(a) collecting and analysing statistical information relating to the
current conditions and trends of the tuna fishery resources of the
Convention area;

(b) studying and appraising information concerning measures and methods
to ensure maintenance of the populations of tuna and tuna-like
fishes in the Convention area at levels which will permit the
maximum sustainable catch and which will ensure the effective
exploitation of these fishes in a manner consistent with this
catch;

(c) recommending studies and investigations to the Contracting Parties;

(d) publishing and otherwise disseminating reports of its findings and
statistical, biological and other scientific information relative
to the tuna fisheries of the Convention area.

Article V

1. There is established within the Commission a Council which shall
consist of the Chairman and the Vice-Chairmen of the Commission together
with the representatives of not less than four and not more than eight
Contracting Parties. The Contracting Parties represented on the Council
shall be elected at each regular meeting of the Commission. However, if
at any time the number of the Contracting Parties exceeds forty, the
Commission may elect an additional two Contracting Parties to be
represented on the Council. The Contracting Parties of which the Chairman
and Vice-Chairmen are nationals shall not be elected to the Council. In
elections to the Council the Commission shall give due consideration to
the geographic, tuna fishing and tuna processing interests of the
Contracting Parties, as well as to the equal right of the Contracting
Parties to be represented on the Council.

2. The Council shall perform such functions as are assigned to it by this
Convention or are designated by the Commission, and shall meet at least
once in the interim between regular meetings of the Commission. Between
meetings of the Commission the Council shall make necessary decisions on
the duties to be carried out by the staff and shall issue necessary
instructions to the Executive Secretary. Decisions of the Council shall
be made in accordance with rules to be established by the Commission.

Article VI

To carry out the objectives of this Convention the Commission may
establish Panels on the basis of species, group of species, or of
geographic areas. Each Panel in such case:

(a) shall be responsible for keeping under review the species, group of
species, or geographic area under its purview, and for collecting
scientific and other information relating thereto;

(b) may propose to the Commission, upon the basis of scientific
investigations, recommendations for joint action by the Contracting
Parties;

(c) may recommend to the Commission studies and investigations
necessary for obtaining information relating to its species, group
of species, or geographic area, as well as the co-ordination of
programmes of investigation by the Contracting Parties.

Article VII

The Commission shall appoint an Executive Secretary who shall serve at
the pleasure of the Commission. The Executive Secretary, subject to such
rules and procedures as may be determined by the Commission, shall have
authority with respect to the selection and administration of the staff
of the Commission. He shall also perform, inter alia, the following
functions as the Commission may prescribe:

(a) co-ordinating the programmes of investigation by the Contracting
Parties;

(b) preparing budget estimates for review by the Commission;

(c) authorising the disbursement of funds in accordance with the
Commission’s budget;

(d) accounting for the funds of the Commission;

(e) arranging for co-operation with the organizations referred to in
Article XI of this Convention;

(f) preparing the collection and analysis of data necessary to
accomplish the purposes of the Convention particularly those data
relating to the current and maximum sustainable catch of tuna
stocks;

(g) preparing for approval by the Commission scientific, administrative
and other reports of the Commission and its subsidiary bodies.