Andre Boustany, Nereus Alumnus (Duke University), attended the ICCAT Advisory Committee Meeting and the Highly Migratory Species Advisory Panel Meeting in March. Boustany sits on the advisory panel for both.

The Advisory Committee to the U.S. Section to the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) was established under the Atlantic Tunas Convention Act (ATCA). It is the US delegation on tuna and tuna-like species, such as sharks, marlins and swordfish. The committee has members from commercial and recreational fisheries, scientists, fisheries councils, and NGOs. Of discussion was the overexploitation of tunas in the Gulf of Guinea and the impact on US fisheries.

The Highly Migratory Species Advisory Panel (HMS AP) looks at USA domestic management issues, including Fishery Management Plans for Atlantic tunas, swordfish, billfish, and sharks. The meeting discussed domestic allocation of bluefin tuna among different fishing sectors.