Source: Subsecretaria de Recursos Pesqueros
IATTC / Ecuador Meeting
The Director of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission, IATTC, Guillermo Compean Jimenez, started a meeting on Wednesday with the Undersecretary of Fisheries Resources MAGAP, in order to prepare for the launch of several technical and scientific cooperation projects, including the marking of bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) in the Eastern Pacific Ocean (EPO).
During the meeting, Mr. Compean, together with the Undersecretary of Fisheries Resources, Guillermo Morán Velásquez, and a technical team, talked about the terms of the project which both institutions will sign for tagging of bigeye tuna in the EPO.
Mr. Moran said the project will confirm the behavior, biology, habits and abundance, among other aspects of this species and consequently enable researchers to take measures for its conservation.
The two institutions could invest about a million dollars in research voyages which are destined to tag bigeye tuna in areas near the Galapagos Islands, Cocos Islands and Hawaii.
This is a cooperative project that would extend during a four-year period. The start of the tagging campaign could take place in April 2010.
