This report summarizes available knowledge on tuna resources in the Andaman Sea area. It is based on cooperative investigations by Thailand and Indonesia, and on decisions and discussions at two meetings of a working group established for the purpose, all under the auspices of the Bay of Bengal Programme (BOBP). The meetings were held in Colombo, Sri Lanka (October 1985) and Phuker, Thailand (August 1986).

Technical and financial support for the tuna resource investigations and the two working group meetings were provided by the project “Marine Fishery Resources Management in the Bay of Bengal” (RAS/81/051), which was a component of the BOBP. The project commenced January 1983 and terminated in December 1986. It was funded by the UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) and executed by the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations). Its immediate objectives were to improve the practice of fishery resources assessment among member countries (Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia) and to stimulate and assist joint management activities between countries sharing fish stocks.