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