The 1949 Convention, under which the IATTC operated from 1950 to 2010, did not define its area of competence precisely, but referred only to the ‘eastern Pacific Ocean’ in general. In the early 1970s, the 150°W meridian began to be used to define the western boundary of the IATTC area and the 50° N and 50° S latitudes its northern and southern boundaries. By the early 1980s it was used regularly for that purpose. For that reason, these references were used to define the area of application of the Agreement on the International Dolphin Conservation Program (AIDCP) when it was adopted in 1998. 

Five years later, the same definition was adopted in the 2003 Antigua Convention as follows:

“ The area of application of the Convention (“the Convention Area”) comprises the area of the Pacific Ocean bounded by the coastline of North, Central, and South America and by the following lines:

1. the 50°N parallel from the coast of North America to its intersection with the 150°W meridian;
2. the 150°W meridian to its intersection with the 50°S parallel; and
3. the 50°S parallel to its intersection with the coast of South America. "

Consistent with the long practice of the Commission and reflecting the special regime of the highly migratory species in international law, as reflected in the relevant provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the Convention Area comprises therefore both areas of the high seas and areas under national jurisdiction.

By using the map on the side, you will be able to see how management areas are organized between the different 5 Tuna Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (t-RFMOS).