Fish do not carry passports, and the ocean has no fences. A tuna caught off Lakshadweep may have been spawned near Indonesia, fed off Sri Lanka and chased across the Indian Ocean before it ever met an Indian net. That single fact is why no country can manage marine fisheries alone — and why examiners love asking about the bodies that do the job together. This set of 20 MCQs covers the Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs), the treaties behind them and the ocean-law zones every fisheries student must know cold.
If you are preparing for ICAR, CIFE, state fisheries officer exams or any fisheries competitive paper, treat this as a revision drill: attempt every question first, then read the explanation. The answers are at the end — and the explanations are where the real learning sits.
Why RFMOs matter (and why exams test them)
About two-thirds of the ocean’s surface is high seas — water beyond any country’s jurisdiction. No single government can set a catch limit there, inspect a foreign vessel there, or protect a straddling stock there. That gap is filled by RFMOs: treaty-based bodies whose member countries agree on total allowable catches, gear rules, vessel lists and compliance measures for a shared ocean region or a shared species.
There are two broad families. Tuna RFMOs manage highly migratory tuna and tuna-like species across whole oceans — there are exactly five of them: ICCAT (Atlantic), IOTC (Indian Ocean), WCPFC (Western and Central Pacific), IATTC (Eastern Pacific) and CCSBT (southern bluefin tuna). Non-tuna RFMOs manage other stocks in a region — CCAMLR in the Southern Ocean, NAFO in the Northwest Atlantic, SIOFA in the Southern Indian Ocean, and others. Above them all sits the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the “constitution for the oceans”, adopted in 1982 and in force since 1994.
India’s stake is direct. India is a member of the IOTC, which manages the tuna India catches in its own ocean, and of CCAMLR. In October 2026 India approved accession to SIOFA, opening regulated high-seas fishing in the Southern Indian Ocean. Every one of those memberships is an exam question waiting to happen.
Quick-reference table: the bodies you must know
| Body / Treaty | What it manages | Headquarters | Key year |
|---|---|---|---|
| UNCLOS | Law of the sea — all oceans | — (treaty) | Adopted 1982; in force 1994 |
| UN Fish Stocks Agreement | Straddling & highly migratory stocks | — (treaty) | Adopted 1995; in force 2001 |
| PSMA | Port measures against IUU fishing | — (FAO treaty) | Adopted 2009; in force 2016 |
| BBNJ (High Seas Treaty) | Biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction | — (treaty) | Adopted 2023; in force 2026 |
| IOTC | Tuna, Indian Ocean | Victoria, Seychelles | Agreement 1993; in force 1996 |
| ICCAT | Tuna, Atlantic | Madrid, Spain | Convention 1966; in force 1969 |
| WCPFC | Tuna, Western & Central Pacific | Kolonia, Pohnpei (FSM) | Convention in force 2004 |
| IATTC | Tuna, Eastern Pacific | La Jolla, California, USA | Convention 1949; in force 1950 |
| CCSBT | Southern bluefin tuna | Canberra, Australia | Convention 1994 |
| CCAMLR | Antarctic marine living resources | Hobart, Australia | Convention 1980; in force 1982 |
| NAFO | Northwest Atlantic fisheries | Dartmouth, Canada | Convention in force 1979 |
| SIOFA | Southern Indian Ocean fisheries | — | In force 2012; India accession approved 2026 |
20 MCQs on RFMOs, ocean law and global fishery bodies
Q1. In which year was the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) adopted?
(a) 1972 (b) 1978 (c) 1982 (d) 1994
Answer: (c) 1982. UNCLOS was adopted on 10 December 1982 at Montego Bay, Jamaica, after the third UN Conference on the Law of the Sea (1973–1982). It entered into force on 16 November 1994, a year after Guyana became the 60th ratifying state.
Q2. UNCLOS entered into force in which year?
(a) 1982 (b) 1989 (c) 1994 (d) 2001
Answer: (c) 1994. The convention entered into force on 16 November 1994. As of October 2024, 169 states plus the European Union are parties. India became a party in 1995.
Q3. Under UNCLOS, the breadth of the territorial sea is:
(a) 3 nautical miles (b) 12 nautical miles (c) 24 nautical miles (d) 200 nautical miles
Answer: (b) 12 nautical miles. Within the territorial sea the coastal state enjoys sovereignty, subject to the right of innocent passage for foreign vessels. The old 3-nautical-mile limit had largely disappeared by the 1960s.
Q4. The Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) extends up to how far from the baseline?
(a) 12 nautical miles (b) 24 nautical miles (c) 100 nautical miles (d) 200 nautical miles
Answer: (d) 200 nautical miles. In the EEZ the coastal state has sovereign rights to explore, exploit, conserve and manage all natural resources — fish, oil, gas and energy from water, currents and winds. The EEZ is UNCLOS’s most important fisheries innovation.
Q5. The contiguous zone extends to what total distance from the baseline?
(a) 12 nautical miles (b) 24 nautical miles (c) 100 nautical miles (d) 200 nautical miles
Answer: (b) 24 nautical miles. The contiguous zone is the 12-nautical-mile belt beyond the territorial sea, where a coastal state may exercise control to prevent and punish infringements of its customs, fiscal, immigration and sanitary laws.
Q6. The International Seabed Authority (ISA), created under UNCLOS, is headquartered at:
(a) Hamburg, Germany (b) Kingston, Jamaica (c) Montego Bay, Jamaica (d) New York, USA
Answer: (b) Kingston, Jamaica. The ISA regulates exploration and mining of minerals on the seabed beyond national jurisdiction — “the Area”. It came into existence in 1994 when UNCLOS entered into force and became fully operational in 1996.
Q7. The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) is seated at:
(a) The Hague, Netherlands (b) Hamburg, Germany (c) Geneva, Switzerland (d) Rome, Italy
Answer: (b) Hamburg, Germany. ITLOS adjudicates disputes over the interpretation and application of UNCLOS. Do not confuse it with the International Court of Justice at The Hague.
Q8. The Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) is headquartered at:
(a) Colombo, Sri Lanka (b) Victoria, Seychelles (c) Port Louis, Mauritius (d) Kochi, India
Answer: (b) Victoria, Seychelles. The IOTC Secretariat was established in Victoria and became operational in January 1998. The IOTC is the only tuna RFMO in the Indian Ocean and the only tuna RFMO established under the FAO framework. India is a member.
Q9. The Agreement establishing the IOTC was approved by the FAO Council in:
(a) 1982 (b) 1993 (c) 1996 (d) 2004
Answer: (b) 1993. The Agreement was approved at the 105th Session of the FAO Council in November 1993 and entered into force on 27 March 1996, when the tenth party accepted it. Exam tip: 1993 is the establishment year, 1996 the entry-into-force year — questions use both.
Q10. The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) is headquartered at:
(a) Lisbon, Portugal (b) Rome, Italy (c) Madrid, Spain (d) Paris, France
Answer: (c) Madrid, Spain. ICCAT was established by a convention adopted at Rio de Janeiro in 1966, which entered into force on 21 March 1969. It manages tuna and tuna-like species in the Atlantic Ocean and adjacent seas.
Q11. The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) is headquartered at:
(a) Suva, Fiji (b) Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia (c) Honolulu, Hawaii (d) Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
Answer: (b) Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia. The WCPF Convention entered into force on 19 June 2004 and the Commission commenced operations in late 2005, with its secretariat at Kolonia, Pohnpei. It manages the world’s largest tuna fishery.
Q12. The Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) — the oldest tuna RFMO — was established by a convention that entered into force in:
(a) 1949 (b) 1950 (c) 1966 (d) 1969
Answer: (b) 1950. The convention was signed by Costa Rica and the United States on 31 May 1949 and entered into force on 3 March 1950. The IATTC is headquartered at La Jolla, California, and manages tuna in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Its modern governing treaty, the Antigua Convention, entered into force in 2010.
Q13. Which of the following is NOT one of the five tuna RFMOs?
(a) ICCAT (b) IOTC (c) NAFO (d) CCSBT
Answer: (c) NAFO. The five tuna RFMOs are ICCAT, IOTC, WCPFC, IATTC and CCSBT. NAFO (Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization) manages demersal and other non-tuna resources in the Northwest Atlantic — it explicitly excludes tuna, salmon, whales and sedentary species from its competence.
Q14. The Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna (CCSBT) is headquartered at:
(a) Wellington, New Zealand (b) Canberra, Australia (c) Tokyo, Japan (d) Hobart, Australia
Answer: (b) Canberra, Australia. The CCSBT Convention was adopted in 1994 by Australia, Japan and New Zealand — the three founding members. It sets the total allowable catch for southern bluefin tuna across the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans where the species occurs.
Q15. The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) is headquartered at:
(a) Hobart, Australia (b) Punta Arenas, Chile (c) Cape Town, South Africa (d) Ushuaia, Argentina
Answer: (a) Hobart, Australia. The CCAMLR Convention was adopted in 1980 and entered into force in 1982. It takes an ecosystem approach to managing Antarctic marine living resources, including krill and toothfish. India is a member of CCAMLR.
Q16. The Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) is headquartered at:
(a) St. John’s, Canada (b) Halifax, Canada (c) Dartmouth, Canada (d) Reykjavik, Iceland
Answer: (c) Dartmouth, Canada. The NAFO Convention was signed on 24 October 1978 and came into force on 1 January 1979, replacing the earlier ICNAF. Its secretariat is at Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.
Q17. The UN Fish Stocks Agreement, which implements UNCLOS for straddling and highly migratory stocks, entered into force in:
(a) 1995 (b) 1999 (c) 2001 (d) 2004
Answer: (c) 2001. The Agreement was adopted on 4 August 1995 and entered into force on 11 December 2001, thirty days after the thirtieth ratification. It requires states to apply the precautionary approach and cooperate through RFMOs.
Q18. The FAO Agreement on Port State Measures (PSMA) — the first binding international treaty aimed specifically at IUU fishing — entered into force in:
(a) 2009 (b) 2012 (c) 2016 (d) 2020
Answer: (c) 2016. The PSMA was adopted by the FAO Conference in November 2009 and entered into force on 5 June 2016, after the 25th instrument of adherence was deposited. It requires parties to designate ports for foreign vessels and to deny entry or inspect vessels suspected of IUU fishing. The FAO estimates IUU fishing takes up to 26 million tonnes of fish a year, worth up to $23 billion.
Q19. The Southern Indian Ocean Fisheries Agreement (SIOFA) entered into force in 2012. Which statement about India and SIOFA is correct?
(a) India was a founding member in 2012 (b) India approved accession to SIOFA in October 2026 (c) India rejected SIOFA membership in 2025 (d) SIOFA covers only the Atlantic Ocean
Answer: (b) India approved accession to SIOFA in October 2026. SIOFA was signed in Rome in July 2006 and entered into force on 21 June 2012. India’s accession was approved by the Union Cabinet on 14 October 2026, opening regulated access to high-seas fish stocks — including squid, toothfish and alfonsino — in the Southern Indian Ocean. India had been a cooperating non-contracting party since 2022.
Q20. The BBNJ Agreement (the High Seas Treaty) entered into force on:
(a) 19 June 2023 (b) 19 September 2025 (c) 17 January 2026 (d) It has not yet entered into force
Answer: (c) 17 January 2026. The BBNJ Agreement was adopted on 19 June 2023; the 60th ratification was deposited on 19 September 2025, triggering entry into force 120 days later, on 17 January 2026. It allows marine protected areas on the high seas and is the third implementing agreement under UNCLOS.
Answer key — all 20 at a glance
| Q | Answer | Q | Answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | (c) 1982 | 11 | (b) Pohnpei |
| 2 | (c) 1994 | 12 | (b) 1950 |
| 3 | (b) 12 nm | 13 | (c) NAFO |
| 4 | (d) 200 nm | 14 | (b) Canberra |
| 5 | (b) 24 nm | 15 | (a) Hobart |
| 6 | (b) Kingston | 16 | (c) Dartmouth |
| 7 | (b) Hamburg | 17 | (c) 2001 |
| 8 | (b) Victoria | 18 | (c) 2016 |
| 9 | (b) 1993 | 19 | (b) India approved accession Oct 2026 |
| 10 | (c) Madrid | 20 | (c) 17 Jan 2026 |
How to use this set for exam revision
- Headquarters are the highest-yield facts. Victoria (IOTC), Madrid (ICCAT), Pohnpei (WCPFC), La Jolla (IATTC), Canberra (CCSBT), Hobart (CCAMLR), Dartmouth (NAFO), Kingston (ISA), Hamburg (ITLOS) — one of these appears in almost every fisheries paper.
- Learn the “establishment vs in-force” pairs. IOTC 1993/1996, ICCAT 1966/1969, UNCLOS 1982/1994, UNFSA 1995/2001, PSMA 2009/2016. Examiners deliberately test the gap between the two years.
- Remember the five tuna RFMOs by ocean: Atlantic (ICCAT), Indian (IOTC), Western-Central Pacific (WCPFC), Eastern Pacific (IATTC), and the single-species CCSBT for southern bluefin tuna.
- India’s memberships: IOTC and CCAMLR as a full member; SIOFA accession approved October 2026. India is not a member of ICCAT, WCPFC, IATTC, NAFO or CCSBT.
- Pair this set with our other question banks: the IUU Fishing MCQs for the PSMA and port-state rules, the High Seas Treaty MCQs for BBNJ in depth, the SIOFA accession story for the India angle, and the Fisheries Acts MCQs for Indian domestic law.
Frequently asked questions
What is an RFMO?
A Regional Fisheries Management Organisation is a treaty-based body through which countries jointly manage shared fish stocks — setting catch limits, gear rules and compliance measures. RFMOs that can set binding catch limits are the “management” organisations; advisory bodies without that power are called regional fishery bodies (RFBs).
How many tuna RFMOs are there?
Five: ICCAT, IOTC, WCPFC, IATTC and CCSBT. Together they cover all the world’s major tuna fisheries.
Which RFMOs is India a member of?
India is a member of the IOTC and CCAMLR, and approved accession to SIOFA in October 2026. India is not a member of ICCAT, WCPFC, IATTC, NAFO or CCSBT.
What is the difference between UNCLOS and the UN Fish Stocks Agreement?
UNCLOS (1982/1994) is the overarching constitution for the oceans. The UN Fish Stocks Agreement (1995/2001) implements UNCLOS specifically for straddling and highly migratory fish stocks, requiring the precautionary approach and cooperation through RFMOs.
Images in this post are illustrations. Facts verified 8 November 2026 against official sources: IOTC basic texts (iotc.org), FAO summary of fishery bodies, UN Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, FAO PSMA history, UN Treaty Collection (UN Fish Stocks Agreement), IATTC special reports, NAFO history, and the UN News record of the PSMA entry into force.