Overview

This domain provides administrative and geospatial reference data used to identify countries, reporting entities, fishing fleets and IOTC Contracting Parties and Cooperating Non-Contracting Parties (CPCs), as well as ports and geographical areas relevant to IOTC fisheries. It also includes spatial classifications and regular grids used for fisheries data reporting, statistical analyses and stock assessments, with associated geospatial datasets available for download.

The geospatial data available from the IOTC Reference Data Catalogue do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), or the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

Administrative data

Identifies the administrative reference data used in IOTC systems, including countries and entities, the list of Contracting Parties and Cooperating Non-Contracting Parties (CPCs), and the fleets associated with them.

Countries & Territories

EN

Reference codes identifying countries and territories associated with the flag or reporting country recorded in IOTC datasets.

FR

Codes de référence identifiant les pays et territoires associés au pavillon ou au pays déclarant figurant dans les jeux de données de la CTOI.

Entities

EN

Reference codes identifying entities submitting data to the IOTC Secretariat. These generally correspond to countries or territories, but may also include the European Union, historical data holders (IOTC and IPTP) and unidentified providers (NEI).

FR

Codes de référence identifiant les entités transmettant des données au Secrétariat de la CTOI. Il s’agit généralement de pays ou de territoires, mais également de l’Union européenne, de détenteurs historiques de données (CTOI et IPTP) et de fournisseurs non identifiés (NEI).

Fleets

EN

Reference codes identifying fishing fleets for which data are reported to the IOTC Secretariat, including fleets distinguished from their reporting entities.

FR

Codes de référence identifiant les flottilles de pêche pour lesquelles des données sont communiquées au Secrétariat de la CTOI, y compris les flottilles distinctes des entités déclarantes.

CPCs

EN

Reference codes identifying current IOTC Contracting Parties and Cooperating Non-Contracting Parties (CPCs).

FR

Codes de référence identifiant les Parties Contractantes et les Parties Coopérantes non Contractantes (CPC) actuelles de la CTOI.

Ports

EN

Reference codes identifying ports relevant to IOTC fisheries data collection, reporting and monitoring.

FR

Codes de référence identifiant les ports pertinents pour la collecte, la déclaration et le suivi des données relatives aux pêcheries de la CTOI.

IOTC Working Parties

EN

Reference code list describing the Working Parties established under the IOTC framework to provide scientific and technical advice on fisheries, species groups and thematic areas.

FR

Liste de référence décrivant les groupes de travail établis dans le cadre de la CTOI afin de fournir des avis scientifiques et techniques sur les pêcheries, les groupes d’espèces et les domaines thématiques.

Geospatial Data

A set of code lists used to model a vessel flag / data reporting country (typically, referenced by ISO-3 code), as well as several different types of irregular Indian Ocean areas of relevance, such as the main IOTC convention sub-areas, the National Jurisdiction Areas of the coastal States, and some irregular areas of statistical relevance at national or regional level (e.g., I.R. Iran coastal sub-areas, large-scale purse seine fishery statistical areas, stock assessment areas, etc.).

The centre coordinates and the ocean area in km2 of each irregular area or regular grid are calculated with respect to the fraction of the theoretical area (potentially overlapping with the mainland) that falls within the IOTC area of competence.

Country Areas

EN

Reference codes identifying the geographical areas of countries and territories represented in the catalogue, excluding disputed areas.

FR

Codes de référence identifiant les zones géographiques des pays et territoires représentés dans le catalogue, à l’exclusion des zones contestées.

Indian Ocean Irregular Areas

These include the various irregular sub-areas in which the Indian Ocean can be subdivided, plus the various National Jurisdiction Areas (NJAs) within it, and any other irregular area defined (and used) for statistical purposes at national and regional level.

Indian Ocean Areas

EN

Reference codes identifying geographical subdivisions of the Indian Ocean used for regional fisheries statistics and analyses.

FR

Codes de référence identifiant les subdivisions géographiques de l’océan Indien utilisées pour les statistiques et analyses halieutiques régionales.

Indian Ocean Main Areas

EN

Reference codes identifying the two main geographical subdivisions of the Indian Ocean: western and eastern Indian Ocean.

FR

Codes de référence identifiant les deux principales subdivisions géographiques de l’océan Indien : l’océan Indien occidental et l’océan Indien oriental.

Indian Ocean Stock Assessment Areas

EN

Reference codes identifying species-specific Indian Ocean areas and subareas used in IOTC stock assessments.

FR

Codes de référence identifiant les zones et sous-zones de l’océan Indien, définies par espèce, utilisées dans les évaluations des stocks de la CTOI.

Indian Ocean National Jurisdiction Areas

The Indian Ocean National Jurisdiction Areas (NJAs) represent areas under national jurisdiction, comprising territorial seas, contiguous zones, and Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs), spatially restricted to the Indian Ocean (see section Indian Ocean Areas).

The NJAs were sourced from the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) maritime boundaries geodatabase (https://doi.org/10.14284/628) and made available through Marine Regions. The use of these data is subject to the terms, conditions, and disclaimer provided by VLIZ (see the Marine Regions disclaimer at: https://www.marineregions.org/disclaimer.php).

Indian Ocean Coastal Countries

This dataset provides reference codes describing the NJAs of coastal States bordering the Indian Ocean. Disputed areas involving Mayotte, Tromelin, and the Glorioso Islands (Îles Glorieuses) were treated as follows: waters associated with Mayotte (France) with Comoros (FRA_COM_MYT) were attributed to France (FRA), while waters associated with Madagascar with France (MDG_FRA) and France with Madagascar and Mauritius (FRA_MDG_MUS) were attributed to the France Overseas Territories (ATF).

This treatment was adopted to ensure internal consistency with long-standing IOTC statistical practices, whereby catches from these areas have historically been attributed accordingly in national submissions and Secretariat compilations. This approach is applied solely for data management and analytical purposes and does not prejudice the positions of CPCs with respect to sovereignty, jurisdiction, or maritime claims.

EN

Reference codes identifying national jurisdiction areas of Indian Ocean coastal States, including territorial seas, contiguous zones and exclusive economic zones, as represented for IOTC statistical purposes.

FR

Codes de référence identifiant les zones sous juridiction nationale des États côtiers de l’océan Indien, comprenant les mers territoriales, les zones contiguës et les zones économiques exclusives, telles que représentées à des fins statistiques par la CTOI.

IOTC Coastal States

This dataset provides reference codes describing the NJAs of the IOTC coastal States and was developed to support the Technical Committee on Allocation Criteria (TCAC). For the purposes of allocating catches to NJAs within the simulations implemented in the TCAC application, the following assumptions were applied:

  1. For historical reasons, the waters of the Chagos Archipelago, considered here as part of the NJAs of Mauritius, were treated as being under the sovereignty of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (GBR), under the administration of the British Indian Ocean Territory prior to 2021. A full Marine Protected Area has been in place since April 2010 and, consequently, no official fisheries catches have been reported from these waters since that date, except for a coastal handline fishery;

  2. Disputed areas involving Mayotte, Tromelin, and the Glorioso Islands (Îles Glorieuses) were treated as follows: waters associated with Mayotte (France) with Comoros (FRA_COM_MYT) were attributed to France (FRA), while waters associated with Madagascar with France (MDG_FRA) and France with Madagascar and Mauritius (FRA_MDG_MUS) were attributed to the France Overseas Territories (ATF). This assumption was adopted to simplify the allocation procedure and to ensure internal consistency with long-standing IOTC statistical practices, whereby catches from these areas have historically been attributed accordingly in national submissions and Secretariat compilations. This treatment is applied solely for analytical purposes within the TCAC application and does not prejudice the positions of CPCs with respect to sovereignty or maritime claims;

  3. Although Mayotte became an overseas department of France in 2011, catches associated with Mayotte are attributed to France in IOTC datasets from 2014 onwards, corresponding to the point at which reporting practices and fleet attribution became consistently aligned with French national submissions. Accordingly, catches taken in the waters of Mayotte during the period 1995–2013 were allocated to the France Overseas Territories (ATF), and to France (FRA) thereafter;

  4. The NJA for the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRN) was defined as the combination of the Iranian NJA (IRN) and the maritime areas subject to dispute with the United Arab Emirates (ARE_IRN) and Iraq (IRQ_IRN);

  5. The NJA for Sudan (SDN) was defined as the combination of the Sudanese NJA (SDN) and the maritime area subject to dispute with Egypt (SDN_EGY );

  6. Catches estimated to have been taken in the NJAs of non-IOTC CPCs – United Arab Emirates (ARE), Bahrain (BHR), Djibouti (DJI), Egypt (EGY), Eritrea (ERI), Iraq (IRQ), Jordan (JOR), Kuwait (KWT), Myanmar (MMR), Qatar (QAT), Saudi Arabia (SAU), and Timor-Leste (TLS), including disputed areas (Eritrea with Djibouti (ERI_DJI) and Qatar with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (QAT_SAU_ARE) – were aggregated under the assigned area OTHER.

EN

Reference codes identifying national jurisdiction areas used in the IOTC Technical Committee on Allocation Criteria (TCAC) simulation tool, subject to the specific analytical assumptions documented below.

FR

Codes de référence identifiant les zones sous juridiction nationale utilisées dans l’outil de simulation du Comité technique sur les critères d’allocation (CTCA) de la CTOI, selon les hypothèses analytiques particulières précisées ci-dessous.

Indian Ocean Regular Grids

These include the various types of regular grids (generally with the same height and width, in degrees) in which the Indian Ocean can be subdivided. The adopted coding scheme is built on top of of the areal grid system of the Coordinating Working Party on Fishery Statistics (CWP) of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

1°x1° Grid

EN

Reference codes identifying 1°×1° spatial grid cells intersecting the Indian Ocean, using FAO/CWP areal grid system codes.

FR

Codes de référence identifiant les cellules de grille de 1°×1° recoupant l’océan Indien, selon les codes du système de quadrillage statistique FAO/CWP.

5°x5° Grid

EN

Reference codes identifying 5°×5° spatial grid cells intersecting the Indian Ocean, using FAO/CWP areal grid system codes.

FR

Codes de référence identifiant les cellules de grille de 5°×5° recoupant l’océan Indien, selon les codes du système de quadrillage statistique FAO/CWP.

10°x10° Grid

EN

Reference codes identifying 10°×10° spatial grid cells intersecting the Indian Ocean, using FAO/CWP areal grid system codes.

FR

Codes de référence identifiant les cellules de grille de 10°×10° recoupant l’océan Indien, selon les codes du système de quadrillage statistique FAO/CWP.

10°x20° Grid

EN

Reference codes identifying 10°×20° spatial grid cells intersecting the Indian Ocean, using IOTC custom codes.

FR

Codes de référence identifiant les cellules de grille de 10°×20° recoupant l’océan Indien, selon les codes personnalisés de la CTOI.

20°x20° Grid

EN

Reference codes identifying 20°×20° spatial grid cells intersecting the Indian Ocean, using FAO/CWP areal grid system codes.

FR

Codes de référence identifiant les cellules de grille de 20°×20° recoupant l’océan Indien, selon les codes du système de quadrillage statistique FAO/CWP.

30°x30° Grid

EN

Reference codes identifying 30°×30° spatial grid cells intersecting the Indian Ocean, using FAO/CWP areal grid system codes.

FR

Codes de référence identifiant les cellules de grille de 30°×30° recoupant l’océan Indien, selon les codes du système de quadrillage statistique FAO/CWP.

IOTC Area of Competence

This includes the irregular subdivisions in which the IOTC Area of Competence can be subdivided.

IOTC Areas

EN

Reference codes identifying geographical subdivisions of the IOTC area of competence used for fisheries reporting and analysis.

FR

Codes de référence identifiant les subdivisions géographiques de la zone de compétence de la CTOI utilisées pour la déclaration et l’analyse des données halieutiques.

IOTC Main Areas

EN

Reference codes identifying the two main subdivisions of the IOTC area of competence: western and eastern areas.

FR

Codes de référence identifiant les deux principales subdivisions de la zone de compétence de la CTOI : les zones occidentale et orientale.

IOTC Coastal Fisheries Areas

EN

Reference codes identifying irregular areas within the IOTC area of competence used to record and report coastal and artisanal fisheries data.

FR

Codes de référence identifiant les zones irrégulières de la zone de compétence de la CTOI utilisées pour enregistrer et déclarer les données des pêcheries côtières et artisanales.

IOTC Regular Grids

These include the various types of regular grids (generally with the same height and width, in degrees) in which the IOTC competence area can be subdivided. The adopted coding scheme is built on top of the FAO / CWP areal grid system.

1°x1° Grid

EN

Reference codes identifying 1°×1° spatial grid cells intersecting the IOTC area of competence, using FAO/CWP areal grid system codes.

FR

Codes de référence identifiant les cellules de grille de 1°×1° recoupant la zone de compétence de la CTOI, selon les codes du système de quadrillage statistique FAO/CWP.

5°x5° Grid

EN

Reference codes identifying 5°x5° spatial grid cells intersecting the IOTC area of competence, using FAO/CWP areal grid system codes.

FR

Codes de référence identifiant les cellules de grille de 5°x5° recoupant la zone de compétence de la CTOI, selon les codes du système de quadrillage statistique FAO/CWP.

10°x10° Grid

EN

Reference codes identifying 10°x10° spatial grid cells intersecting the IOTC area of competence, using FAO/CWP areal grid system codes.

FR

Codes de référence identifiant les cellules de grille de 10°x10° recoupant la zone de compétence de la CTOI, selon les codes du système de quadrillage statistique FAO/CWP.

10°x20° Grid

EN

Reference codes identifying 10°x20° spatial grid cells intersecting the IOTC area of competence, using IOTC custom codes.

FR

Codes de référence identifiant les cellules de grille de 10°x20° recoupant la zone de compétence de la CTOI, selon les codes personnalisés de la CTOI.

20°x20° Grid

EN

Reference codes identifying 20°x20° spatial grid cells intersecting the IOTC area of competence, using FAO/CWP areal grid system codes.

FR

Codes de référence identifiant les cellules de grille de 20°x20° recoupant la zone de compétence de la CTOI, selon les codes du système de quadrillage statistique FAO/CWP.

30°x30° Grid

EN

Reference codes identifying 30°x30° spatial grid cells intersecting the IOTC area of competence, using FAO/CWP areal grid system codes.

FR

Codes de référence identifiant les cellules de grille de 30°x30° recoupant la zone de compétence de la CTOI, selon les codes du système de quadrillage statistique FAO/CWP.

1°x1° and 5°x5° Grid

EN

Reference codes identifying the combined 1°x1° and 5°x5° spatial grids intersecting the IOTC area of competence.

FR

Codes de référence identifiant les grilles spatiales combinées de 1°x1° et de 5°x5° recoupant la zone de compétence de la CTOI.

1°x1° and 5°x5° Grid, Plus Other Important Areas within the IOTC Area of Competence

EN

Reference codes identifying the combined 1°x1° and 5°x5° grids and additional coastal and artisanal fisheries areas within the IOTC area of competence.

FR

Codes de référence identifiant les grilles combinées de 1°x1° et de 5°x5° ainsi que les zones supplémentaires des pêcheries côtières et artisanales situées dans la zone de compétence de la CTOI.

Indian Ocean FAO Areas

Subset of all FAO statistical areas located in the Indian Ocean.

This includes:

EN

Reference codes identifying FAO major fishing areas 51 (western Indian Ocean), 57 (eastern Indian Ocean) and 58 (Antarctic and southern Indian Ocean).

FR

Codes de référence identifiant les grandes zones de pêche de la FAO 51 (océan Indien occidental), 57 (océan Indien oriental) et 58 (Antarctique et océan Indien austral).