The Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (abbreviated IATTC) (Sp.: Comisión Interamericana del Atún Tropical) is an international commission that is responsible for the conservation and management of tuna and other marine resources in the eastern Pacific Ocean.
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The Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission was created by the Convention for the Establishment of an Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission, signed between the United States and Costa Rica on May 31, 1949.[1] The Convention was signed by United States Secretary of State Dean Acheson and Costa Rica's Ambassador to the United States, Mario Echandi Jiménez.[2]
A number of additional countries later joined the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission. Depending on the size of the country, each country is represented by up to four Commissioners.[3]
In 2003, the members of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission signed the Antigua Convention, which strengthened the Commission's powers.[4] Most members of the Commission ratified the Antigua Convention between 2004 and 2009, but as of 2011, the U.S. had not ratified the Antigua Convention.[5]