(Seychelles News Agency) - Seychelles signed the Alliance Agreement between Tuna Cities for Sustainable Human Development at the Bermeo Tuna World Capital Cities Forum, which was held in Bilbao and Bermeo, Spain, on May 3.

The forum is a global alliance between tuna cities committed to sustainable human development, according to a press statement from the acting Mayor of Victoria.

Mayor Lydia Charlie signed the agreement on behalf of Seychelles’ capital Victoria. She was accompanied by Philip Michaud, the acting chief executive officer of the Seychelles Fishing Authority (SFA).

Acting Mayor Lydia Charlie and acting SFA CEO Philippe Michaud (Office of the Mayor of Victoria) All Rights Reserved

The twinned cities in the agreement are Manta (Ecuador), Victoria (Seychelles), Pago Pago (American Samoa), Concarneau (France), General Santos (Philippines), Bermeo (Bizkaia, Spain) and Majuro (Marshall Islands).

The forum saw the participation of fishing-related institutions, scientific bodies, specialised UN agencies, and companies in the fisheries sector, among others.

The signed agreement “establishes a framework for cooperation between cities where tuna fishing represents a substantial part of their economy, their society, their environment, their history, their culture and their future,” according to the statement.

They are expected to use tools to avoid, prevent, mitigate and repair the environmental and social impact of this economic activity within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the UN's 2030 Agenda.

“Port Victoria is a top port for the transfer of tuna in the Indian Ocean. The Seychelles lies right in the middle of the tuna migration route in the western Indian Ocean. This is a stretch of ocean over three times the size of California, which yields the biggest tuna catch in the Indian Ocean,” the mayor’s office noted.

Meanwhile, the Mayor of Bermeo, Aritz Abaroa, stated that “Signing this declaration is a major step towards a collaboration framework between local governments to guarantee the sustainability of this resource… We are worthy of being called Tuna World Capitals. We are aware that there are many cities with close ties to tuna, but by setting up and launching this Alliance, seven of them have already joined us.”