Due to its mandate to manage and conserve tuna fishery resources, ICCAT carries out a wide spectrum of scientific research and monitoring activities. While the Secretariat is directly involved in coordination of some of these activities, much of the research is carried out by the Contracting Parties. Research and statistics activities, under the direct supervision of the Assistant Executive Secretary and Scientific Coordinator, are conducted by the Departments of Science and of Statistics.

Main Tasks: Data requests; Standards for data submission; Database development; Database user interfaces; Data quality control; Data extraction and publication; Web site management; Tagging inventory; Preparation of reports; SCRS coordination.

Science underpins the management decisions made by ICCAT. The Standing Committee on Research and Statistics (SCRS), is the science branch of the Commission, and is therefore responsible for providing scientific advice to the Commission. Although much of the science and research is carried out by the Contracting Parties, upon the request of the SCRS, the Secretariat has a key role in assisting the Committee on a range of tasks.

Main tasks: data analysis to support and/or facilitate the provision of advice; setting meetings and providing relevant information and data; providing input data for the stock assessment process and facilitating compilation and storage of all relevant data; preparing reports.

This Department is staffed by three people: a Head of Department and Fisheries Data Analyst, a Bycatch Coordinator and a Population Dynamics Expert.

ICCAT compiles fishery statistics from its members and from all entities fishing for ICCAT species in the Atlantic Ocean and Adjacent Seas. Accordingly, the Secretariat maintains a large number of databases containing information on fishery statistics and compliance related matters, which are essential for provision of scientific advice and the decision-making process for conservation and management of ICCAT stocks and fisheries.

Main tasks: data requests and data submission standards; database development; software development (database user interfaces and applications in general); quality control of data; data dissemination (structures, extraction, publication); tagging inventory; and preparation of reports.

This Department is staffed by eight people: a Head of Department and Database Programmer, a Biostatistician, a Database Programmer and GIS expert, a Programming Technician, and four Software Developers.