Contributing to Responsible Tuna Management in the Indian Ocean: Updating Catch Reporting for the Sea of Oman and the Arabian Sea

Dario Pinello (), Ahmed Esmaeil Alsayed Alhashmi, Nicola Ferri, Duncan Leadbitter, Mohamed Hasan Ali Al Marzooqi, Mohamed Abdulla Ahmed Almusallami, Sultan Rashed Al Ali, Shamsa Mohamed Al Hameli, Franklin Francis and Shaikha Salem Al Dhaheri
Additional contact information
Dario Pinello: Environment Agency—Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi P.O. Box 45553, United Arab Emirates
Ahmed Esmaeil Alsayed Alhashmi: Environment Agency—Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi P.O. Box 45553, United Arab Emirates
Nicola Ferri: School of Law, University of Milan-Bicocca, Piazza dell’Ateneo Nuovo 1, 20126 Milan, Italy
Duncan Leadbitter: Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security (ANCORS), University of Wollongong, Northfields Avenue, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
Mohamed Hasan Ali Al Marzooqi: Environment Agency—Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi P.O. Box 45553, United Arab Emirates
Mohamed Abdulla Ahmed Almusallami: Environment Agency—Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi P.O. Box 45553, United Arab Emirates
Sultan Rashed Al Ali: Environment Agency—Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi P.O. Box 45553, United Arab Emirates
Shamsa Mohamed Al Hameli: Environment Agency—Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi P.O. Box 45553, United Arab Emirates
Franklin Francis: Environment Agency—Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi P.O. Box 45553, United Arab Emirates
Shaikha Salem Al Dhaheri: Environment Agency—Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi P.O. Box 45553, United Arab Emirates

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 17, 1-28

Abstract: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has a long history and tradition in fishing, yet its role in regional tuna management remains yet to be fully defined. This is the case specifically of tuna species, such as yellowfin, which are highly migratory and require coordinated efforts in the context of a corresponding international governance framework, particularly in ecologically important areas like the Northern Indian Ocean and the Sea of Oman. Data collection and species identification present significant complexities for these species, yet accuracy is crucial for effective conservation and fair allocation of management shares. Although UAE fisheries are partly within the area of competence of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC), the country has only recently begun to give consideration to the process toward participating in this Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (RFMO) which, in turn, would provide for the relevant governance framework for the species examined in this paper. This paper explores the factors behind these developments and assesses their implications for regional tuna management. Based on scientific sampling, we developed estimates of past landing volumes and propose mechanisms for ensuring data collection instrumental to an informed participation by the UAE in the regional tuna management framework under the IOTC. Finally, we explored the implications that this development would have under public international law, departing from the traditional principle “ex facto oritur ius” (Latin: the law arises from facts), which embodies the notion that certain legal consequences attach to particular developments. With regard to the specific developments being addressed by this paper, there could be certain legal consequences for UAE; following the reconstruction of landings and the enhancement of international datasets, we postulate that there would be legal ground for UAE to exercise historical fishing rights and seek a potential allocation of quotas within the framework of IOTC.

Keywords: yellowfin tuna historical catch; IOTC; FAO; UAE (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/17/7889/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/17/7889/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:17:p:7889-:d:1740425

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().