General information for ICCAT Management Strategy Evaluation (MSE)
ICCAT MSE
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Eight ongoing ICCAT Management Strategy Evaluations (MSEs) At ICCAT, six MSE processes (North Atlantic albacore, South Atlantic albacore, Atlantic bluefin tuna, North Atlantic swordfish, multi-stock tropical tunas, and West Atlantic skipjack) have been formally developed by the SCRS following explicit requests from the Commission. In 2025, the ICCAT MSE Roadmap was updated with a new format, and an External review of the overall ICCAT MSE Process (García et al., 2025) and a feasibility study on developing North and South Atlantic blue shark MSEs (Taylor et al., 2025) were conducted. Please see the ICCAT MSE Glossary of Acronyms for reference. |
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Latest News
2025 Commission
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At the 2025 Commission Meeting (updated: 2025 December)
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Species Information
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Management Procedure (MP) since 2017
 Generated by ChatGPT on 15 Feb 2026 |
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The ICCAT Commission adopted the Total Allowable Catch (TAC) Recommendation for North Atlantic albacore based on the interim Harvest Control Rule (HCR) (Rec. 17-04) in 2017 and a full MP in 2021 (Rec. 21-04) and in 2023 (Rec. 23-05). The Commission also adopted the Exceptional Circumstances Protocol (ECP) in 2021 (Rec. 21-04, Annex 2), that includes the evaluation of Exceptional Circumstances (ECs) every year by the SCRS.
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Under development
Generated by ChatGPT on 15 Feb 2026 |
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The Commission intends to adopt a Management Procedure (MP) for southern Atlantic albacore no later than 2029 (Res. 24-09).
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Management Procedure (MP) since 2022
 Generated by ChatGPT on 15 Feb 2026 |
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Atlantic bluefin tuna has complex dynamics involving two stocks (eastern and western) with long-distance movements and mixed-stock fisheries. The MP was adopted in 2022 (Rec. 22-09) and the Commission has adopted the TAC recommendation for both bluefin tuna eastern and western stocks basically based on this MP since 2022. The Commission also adopted the Exceptional Circumstances (ECs) Protocol in 2023 (Rec. 23-07, Annex 4), that includes the evaluation of Exceptional Circumstances (ECs) every year by the SCRS.
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Management Procedure (MP) since 2024
 Generated by ChatGPT on 15 Feb 2026 |
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The ICCAT Commission has since 2024 adopted the TAC recommendation for North Atlantic swordfish based on the MP (Rec. 24-10). The Commission also adopted the Exceptional Circumstances Protocol (ECP) in 2025 (Rec. 25-10, Annex 4), that includes the evaluation of Exceptional Circumstances (ECs) every year by the SCRS.
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Under development
 Generated by ChatGPT on 15 Feb 2026 |
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The Commission adopted Res. 24-02 on interim operational management objectives for Atlantic bigeye tuna, yellowfin tuna, and the eastern stock of skipjack tuna.
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Management Procedure since (MP) 2025
 Generated by ChatGPT on 15 Feb 2026 |
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In 2025, the Commission adopted the Total Allowable Catch (TAC) recommendation for western Atlantic skipjack tuna based on the MP (Rec. 25-02). The Commission will also adopt the Exceptional Circumstances Protocol (ECP) in 2026, that includes the evaluation of Exceptional Circumstances (ECs) every year by the SCRS.
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Under development
 Generated by ChatGPT on 15 Feb 2026 |
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The SCRS informed the Commission in 2025 on the feasibility, cost, and options for developing a Management Strategy Evaluation (MSE) framework (Anon., 2025).
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South Atlantic swordfish
Generated by ChatGPT on 15 Feb 2026 |
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Although no formal Management Strategy Evaluation (MSE) has been mandated for southern swordfish, closed-loop simulations have already been applied for the stock.
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