International Fisheries Management Flashcards
ICCT stand for?
International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas
RFMOs
regional fisheries management organisations
How many RFMOs are there?
5 - ICCAT is one of them.
When was ICCAT established?
1969
How many member nations is within ICCAT?
52 (included EU)
ICCAT Convention Area
Ocean and adjacent seas
Convention Resources
Tunas and tuna-like species
ICCAT’s function
- Collection and analysis of statistical information
- Joint planning of research, evaluation of results
- Joint formulation of management recommendations
SCRS stand for
Standing Committee for Research and Statistics
How does SCARs assist ICCAT?
fishreie science
Comprised of scientists from member parties
Conduct assessments
Provide recommendations to management (which may or may not follow such recommendations)
U.S. Representation at ICCAT
3 US Commissioners
Federal, Commercial, and Recreational
Presidential appointments, 3-year terms
Who is responsible for implementing ICCAT managment measures?
The National Marine Fishereis Service (NMFS)
What are challenges in international fisheries management?
Science-based management: short term economic and/or political considerations can trump conservation objectives
Compliance: up to member countries to collect/submit data, implement management measures; no international enforcement
IUU fishing: fishing by nations not party to RFMO, flags and ports of convenience, transshipment to avoid regulations
Allocation: historical fisheries vs. developing nations, how to reward compliance / penalize noncompliance
Science-based management?
Conservation and management measures have not always followed the scientific advice
The scientific advice is often intensely debated during management negotiations (by non-scientists!), using up limited meeting time
Short-term economic considerations often end up outweighing more conservative management approaches
The precautionary approach has been applied to the industry, not the resource
What are Harvest Strategies?
Actions that automatically take place if stock fall below the biological reference point.
Developing Allocation Criteria
Developed coastal nations with quota
Developed distant water nations with quota
Developing coastal nations with quota
Developing coastal nations with little or no quota
Why manage fisheries?
Open access fisheries often overexploited and generally unprofitable (tragedy of the commons)
Management often seeks to optimize human-derived benefits via conservation measures
What do fisheries provide?
Food (wild + aquaculture provide 17% animal protein in human consumption)
Jobs and income (~40M directly employed)
Cultural benefits
Historical management
Large-scale management efforts (national, international) did not exist until 20th century
Several examples of local management of benthic and non-migratory (often reef) fisheries going back hundreds of years
Local tenure systems in Western Pacific (e.g., Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu)
Japanese harvest cooperatives (1700s)
Maine lobster (1870s)
Virginia oyster (1800s)
Freedom of the seas 1609
Maritime states generally recognized as having sovereignty as far as cannons could fire from land (~3 miles); international waters beyond
Little ability to manage most marine species
US Commission of Fish and Fisheries
Established by Congress in 1871 to investigate, promote, and preserve US fisheries
Motivated by declines in coastal commercial fisheries
Became Fish and Wildlife Service (1940); NOAA created 1970, absorbed marine fisheries components of USFWS
International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES)
Established in 1902 in Copenhagen; oldest intergovernmental science organization (Denmark, Finland, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Russia, and UK)
Formed in response to concerns over fish stocks in the region
Functions: develop, promote, and disseminate marine science research, provide scientific advice to member governments and related management bodies (e.g., European Commission)
International Pacific Halibut Commission
Established by US-Canadian treaty (1923)
Permitted research and ability to set seasons
Following WWII & Truman proclamation, a number of international fisheries management treaties established based around science-informed management
International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (1946)
Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Convention (1949)
Inter-American Tropical Tuna Convention (1950)
International North Pacific Fisheries Convention (1953)
US Congress authorizes Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf states to form compacts for coordination of marine fishery management
Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (1942)
Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission (1947)
Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission (1949)
Law of the Sea Treaty
UNCLOSII produced this treaty in 1973-1982
defined 200 mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) that provides exclusive rights to fisheries, minerals, and sea floor deposits
Came into force in 1994
Several countries still have not ratified (including US) but recognize provisions
Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC, est. 1875)
Sole manager of stocks that occur exclusively in state waters (out to 3 miles)
Co-manager of stocks that occur in state & federal waters, or state waters of multiple states
Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC, est. 1942)
Manage stocks that occur primarily in inshore waters of several states
Works in collaboration with state and federal managers
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSFCMA) enacted in 1976 (effective Jan 1, 1977)
Overarching legislation for management of marine fisheries in federal waters (3 – 200 miles)
Designed to: prevent overfishing, rebuild overfished stocks, provide socioeconomic benefits, ensure sustainable food supply
Key driver → exclude foreign fleets (extend jurisdiction 12 to 200 miles)
MSFCMA established ___ regional FIshery Management Councils
8
Fishery Management Councils
Members appointed by state governors, selected by US Sec. of Commerce
Management Council Functions
Develop and amend fishery management plans
Convene committees and panels, conduct public meetings
Develop research priorities with Science and Statistical Committee
Set catch limits based on science, develop rebuilding plans
Vote on management actions, submit to Sec. of Commerce for approval
Sustainable Fisheries Act (1996)
Added definitions for “overfished” and “overfishing”
Specify objective & measurable criteria for determining stock status
Precautionary → MSY as the limit
Identify essential fish habitat, minimize impacts from fishing
Three additional National Standards (7 → 10)
Magnuson-Stevens Reauthorization Act (2007)
Establish annual catch limits and accountability measures
Promote market-based management strategies (limited access programs / catch shares)
Improve science and data
Enhance international cooperation, address IUU and bycatch
National Standard 1 – Optimum Yield
Conservation and management measures shall prevent overfishing while achieving, on a continuing basis, the optimum yield from each fishery for the United States fishing industry.
“Optimum Yield” (OY)
amount of harvest that provides the greatest level of continual net benefits to the Nation
Based on MSY as reduced by social, economic, and/or ecological factors
OFL
Overfishing Limit
Corresponds with MSY
= assessment-derived MSY
ABC
Acceptable Biological Catch
= OFL reduced for scientific uncertainty
ACL / ACT
Anual Catch Limit
Anual Catch Target - Should achieve OY
ACL & ACT =
ABC reduced for management uncertainty
NOAA Fisheries mangages:
tunas, sharks, swordfish, and billfish occurring in US Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean (est. 1992 following 1990 MSFCMA reauthorization)
Why did NOAA take over this fishery management?
All were highly migratory species
Individual regional councils did not adequately cover species’ range → cooperation challenging (both among regions and internationally)
Works in coordination with the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) to implement domestic management
What is one difference between NOAA management process in comparison to council managed species
minimize disadvantage to US in relation to foreign competitors
UN Law of the Sea defines
EEZ boundaries
Majority of global catch and revenues come from
transboundary species (cross EEZs of two or more bordering countries)
Catches from shared species declining more than non-shared
What is expected to exacerbate international management challenges?
Climate-induced range shifts
South Pacific Tuna Treaty (1988)
allows US purse seiners to fish EEZs of Pacific island countries party to the treaty, US provides economic assistance
US & Canada have agreements for what two species?
Salmon and Halibut
Conservation and Management of Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Species (1996)
UN agreement to enhance cooperative management of straddling and highly migratory fish stocks
Utilize best available science & precautionary approach, promote optimum use of fisheries resources
Regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs):
International body made up of countries that share a practical or financial interest in managing shared stocks
Who are members of the RFMOs
coastal countries within a stock’s range and distant water fishing nations
How many RFMOs does the US participate in?
11 (3/5 tune RFMOs)
