Closure year: 2026

Resolution C-25-01 on Conservation of Tropical Tunas establishes that:

3. All purse-seine vessels covered by these measures must stop fishing in the Convention Area for a period of 64 days.
   1. For purse-seine vessel class 5 and 6, these closures shall be observed in one of two periods, as follows: from 00:00 hours on 6 August to 24:00 hours on 8 October, or from 00:00 hours on 9 November to 24:00 hours on 11 January of the following year.
   2. Class 4 purse-seine vessels shall observe a closure of 64 consecutive days, at any time of the year at the discretion of the vessel owner, who shall notify the flag CPC in writing, and the latter to the Director of the IATTC, of the start date of the closure at least 30 days in advance.
4. CPCs shall ensure that vessels that exceeded during the previous year the annual catch limit of 1,200 metric tons of bigeye tuna shall increase during the following as follows:
   1. More than 1,200 t and up to 1,500 t: 10 additional days.
   2. More than 1,500 t and up to 1,800 t: 13 additional days.
   3. More than 1,800 t and up to 2,100 t: 16 additional days.
   4. More than 2,100 t and up to 2,400 t: 19 additional days.
   5. More than 2,400 t: 22 additional days.

   For class 5 and 6 purse-seine vessels, the additional days of closure pursuant to this paragraph shall be added, as appropriate, to the beginning of the closure for vessels observing the first period and to the end of the closure for vessels observing the second period, so that the closure of the first period shall always end on 8 October and the second period shall always begin on 9 November of each year. For class 4 purse-seine vessels, the additional days of closure must be added consecutively to their chosen days of closure.

6. CPCs shall be responsible for the compilation and submission of the final data on the annual catches of bigeye tuna made by individual vessels flying their flag during the current year. The CPCs will be responsible for estimating the catch of bigeye tuna of each vessel flying its flag at the end of each trip.

   Important due dates:

   1. February 15: CPCs transmit information to the Secretary of annual catches of bigeye tuna by its vessels.
   2. March 1: Based on the previous information, the Secretary provide CPCs the names of vessels that must increase the closure period.
   3. July 15: CPCs notify the IATTC Secretariat of the closures selected for its class-5 and class-6 vessels.
   4. For class-4 vessels: CPC must notify the Director at least 30 days in advance of the start of the respective closure period.

Since November 2018 (Memorandum 0484-410), the practice of the Commission and its Secretariat concerning the observation of period closures by "new vessels" has been clarified and publicized. A "new vessel" is a vessel that is included for the first time in the IATTC Regional Vessel Register or is re-included after their previous removal from the Register. If its inclusion occurs during or after the first period of closure, it will be considered as having observed that closure when:

• It replaces a vessel that has already observed the first period of closure; or
• It is entered in the Register with the necessary allocation of capacity and starts fishing only after the end of the first period of closure.