The Achotines Laboratory of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC / CIAT) was established in 1984 for the study of tuna biology and ecology. From a modest field station it has grown into a multidisciplinary research centre.
It sits in Achotines Bay at the tip of Panama’s Azuero Peninsula, where pelagic, coastal, intertidal and estuarine environments occur within a few kilometres of one another. Its work covers tuna and related species, early life stages, ocean warming, ocean acidification, stock assessment and bycatch-reduction technologies. The laboratory is capable of maintaining all tuna life stages in captivity, with wet and dry laboratories and research vessels, and scientists from around the world use its location and facilities.
Few residential coastlines are connected to a scientific institution with such direct relevance to the tropical Pacific.
The laboratory is a working scientific institution rather than a tourist attraction. Any access or visit is subject exclusively to IATTC policies, permissions and operational availability. Reference is made for context only and implies no association with Ocean Properties / OP Capital.