The United Nations(UN)’s World Tuna Day is annually observed across the globe on 2nd May to create awareness about the importance of tuna resources for food security and nutrition, economic development, employment, government revenue, livelihoods, culture and recreation.
Background:
i.The United Nations General Assembly(UNGA) adopted the resolution A/RES/71/124 on 7th December 2016 and proclaimed the 2nd May of every year as World Tuna Day.
ii.The first-ever World Tuna Day was observed on 2nd May 2017.
About Tuna:
i.Tuna is rich in Omega-3 and it also contains minerals, proteins, and vitamin B12, among others.
ii.Due to their amazing qualities, the tunas are threatened by overwhelming demand.
Tuna and tuna-like species include around 40 species occurring in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans and in the Mediterranean Sea.
iii.According to 2017 data, among the 7 principal tuna species, 33.3% of the stocks are estimated to be fished at a biologically unsustainable level.
iv.The Tuna species account for 20% of the value of all marine capture fisheries and over 8% of all globally traded seafood.
Conservation of Tuna:
i.At present more than 96 countries are involved in the conservation and management of tuna.
ii.Between 2014 and 2019, the number of major tuna stocks experiencing overfishing went down from 13 to 5.
iii.This was achieved through the Common Oceans ABNJ Program which brought together the scientists and fishery managers to develop sustainable and transparent tuna harvest strategies.
International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture (IYAFA 2022):
i.In 2016, Committee on Fisheries (COFI) endorsed a proposal for the Declaration of the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture with the purpose of sensitizing public opinion and governments on artisanal fisheries and aquaculture and on the importance of adopting specific public policies and programs to enable them to operate in a sustainable manner.
ii.The UNGA adopted the resolution A/RES/72/72 on 5th December 2017 and proclaimed the year beginning on 1st January 2022 as the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture (IYAFA 2022).
- The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations(FAO) is the lead agency of IYAFA 2022 in collaboration with other relevant organizations and bodies of the UN system.
Note: UN Decade of Family Farming (UNDFF) is celebrated from 2019-2028.
Objective of IYAFA 2022:
i.To create awareness about the contribution of small scale artisanal fisheries and aquaculture to sustainable development in reaction to food security and nutrition, poverty eradication and use of the natural resource.
ii.To promote collaboration between small scale artisanal fishers, fish farmers, fish workers, governments and other key partners to strengthen the capacity to enhance sustainability in fisheries and aquaculture.
About Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations(FAO):
Director-General– Qu Dongyu
Members– 195 members (194 countries and the European Union)
Headquarters– Rome, Italy
