Ellie Matthew – September 2024
John Burton, SFACT Founder recently visited Pakistan to present at the International Marine Science and Environmental Conference (IMSEC). John presented in both Islamabad and Karachi and his presentations addressed the critical importance of tuna species conservation in the Indian Ocean and the issues in the region including allocation of fishing opportunities, overfishing, and juvenile mortality of some tuna species around Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs).
The presentations John gave detailed the IOTC including the current stock status of their species, as well as highlighting the current issues the IOTC faces. When talking about the global markets for tuna, John described the market size and projected growth, as well as how this growth may look with predicted trends surrounding consumption in various forms. John also highlighted the key roles and opportunities Pakistan can make in this sector.
Reflecting on his visit, John said he was ‘honoured to be invited to these important events in Pakistan. it gave me the opportunity to present the challenges facing Pakistan and other coastal states in the Indian Ocean and to congratulate and thank Pakistan for the leadership on matters of tuna conservation in the IOTC’.
