Cooperation and unregulated fishing: interactions between customary international law,and the European Union IUU fishing regulation

The extent to which flag States are bound by the conservation rules of regional fishery management organisations is an important question in the quest to reduce unregulated fishing. The European Union implemented a trade suspension against Cambodia under Council Regulation 1005/2008, in response to unregulated fishing by Cambodian vessels in high seas areas managed by regional fishery management organisations. Limitations in the arguments underpinning the decision evidence the flaws of unregulated fishing as a legal concept, underlining the need for it to be appropriately interpreted and contextualised in the international legal framework. Clarity on the differences between conventional and customary sources of international legal obligation, and their implications for State consent, should guide the implementation of the Regulation to maximise the normative potential of resulting practices.     

Managing Bluefin Tuna in the Mediterranean Sea

Atlantic Bluefin Tuna is an important but not well managed fishery in the Mediterranean Sea. In this paper, management system is evaluated with information on stock status, resource rent, and total employment. The non-restrictive implementation of International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) policies is found to be the institutional reason for its management failure, while the common-property and shared stock nature of this fishery is the fundamental reason. To address these major issues, policy schemes are proposed to help sustainably manage this valuable resource in the Mediterranean Sea.     

Concern for Southern Ocean fish stocks and bird populations

The paper highlights the challenges faced by parties to the Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna (SBT). The parent stock of SBT is at historically very low levels and the probability of stock recovery under present catch quota levels is also low. Seabird kill associated with longlining for SBT is now a major concern and several species of endangered Albatross could be heading for extinction unless improved methods of bird exclusion are widely adopted in the SBT longline fishery. Australia in particular has much to lose if these trends are not reversed.     

An economic analysis of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing: Key drivers and possible solutions

The fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities has recently become a high priority in the international fisheries management agenda. While a number of academic contributions have sought to improve the understanding of the problem, most remain limited in scope. To help policy makers obtain a more comprehensive picture of the situation, the OECD Committee for Fisheries recently completed a study addressing the full economic dimensions of IUU fishing in an integrated manner. This paper presents the analytical framework developed by the OECD as well as some of the key results of the study regarding the causes of and the potential solutions to this widespread problem.     

Trade measures and the combat of IUU fishing: Institutional interplay and effective governance in the Northeast Atlantic

The use of trade measures to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing in the Northeast Atlantic has evolved from unilateral denial of the landing of fish taken outside international quota arrangements to a multilateral Scheme of Control and Enforcement under the North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC). International trade rules have not constrained this development, mostly due to successful management of the interplay between international resource management and trade regimes. States protect resource management objectives from such constraint by inserting clauses that establish a normative hierarchy, or they employ various means for adapting IUU measures to the ‘environmental window’ of the global trade regime. The fact that regional states have introduced trade restrictions only when non-restrictive or less restrictive measures have failed enhances such compatibility, as do the gradual shift from unilateral to multilateral measures and the rise in transparency, openness and target-state involvement. None of those features reduces the effectiveness of regional trade measures; they minimize tension with trade commitments and largely strengthen their clout in the struggle to combat IUU fishing in the Northeast Atlantic.     

Veil over the nets (unravelling corporate liability for IUU fishing offences)

The illegal plundering of fishing stocks worldwide is masked behind a maze of corporate structures that makes discovery of the beneficiaries of such activity, difficult, if not impossible to identify. This paper outlines the problem of illegal fishing and then develops a multi-layered response to avert the veil of corporate entity being used as a means of preventing domestic States from answering the principal thematic question—who is the true beneficiary of this illegal behaviour, and who should be held responsible.     

A Statistical Model for Stock Assessment of Southern Bluefin Tuna with Temporal Changes in Selectivity

Assessment of the status of southern bluefin tuna (SBT) by Australia and Japan has used a method (ADAPT) that imposes a number of structural restrictions, and is similar to methods used for a number of stocks world-wide. A flexible method for assessment of the SBT population is presented that is much less restrictive and has potentially wide applicability. The three key features are: (1) all fitting to data is within the context of maximum likelihood, (2) catch-at-age data are not assumed to be without error (as in existing methods), but rather to be random variables, while age-specific selectivity is allowed to change over time within the bounds of specific structure, and (3) autocorrelation in recruitment processes is considered within the likelihood framework of the model. While the results suggest the stock has been depleted considerably from its virgin biomass, and are generally consistent with previous assessments, they also indicate that it is not as much below the biomass that will produce maximum suitable yield as previously estimated and that the extent of stock rebuilding necessary may not be as large as has been argued. The available data are shown to provide little information on the steepness parameter of the stock-recruitment function, and hence on sustainable catch levels for the stock.     

Fishing access agreements and harvesting decisions of host and distant water fishing nations

The declaration of exclusive economic zones (EEZs) granted coastal states sovereign rights over the marine resources in their EEZs and enabled developing coastal states to legally charge access fees to distant water fishing (DWF) nations for access to the resources in these waters. Despite the potential for economic gains, however, the ability of coastal states to benefit from the granting of sovereign rights and to ensure the sustainable use of their fisheries resources depends on how domestic fishing effort responds to the harvesting decisions of the DWF nations. We develop a stylized bioeconomic model to explore the change in fishing behavior of host and DWF nations when the two nations enter into an access agreement with varying levels of access fee. We further conduct an econometric analysis of changes in Pacific island nations’ harvesting behavior in response to the harvest decisions of DWF nations using data from the Western and Central Pacific tuna fishery. Our model results show that there is a range of variable access payment levels over which the host nation substitutes benefits from its domestic fishing activity with access payments from the DWF nation and that setting fees in this range can create a trap whereby host nations are forced to trade-off receiving a fair return to their fishery resources through access fees and retaining their own active fleet capacity. Our empirical analysis further shows a gradual shift in the way in which Pacific island host nations responded to the harvest decision of DWF nations as a result of the creation of the 200-nautical-mile EEZ.     

International trade law compatibility of market-related measures to combat illegal,unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing

Measures to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing increasingly seek to constrain access to markets. These measures include enhanced seafood traceability and catch documentation schemes, the blocking of port access and landings, the identification and assessment of vessels engaged in IUU fishing and the prohibition on imports, transhipments or trade of fish products. It is important that such measures are in accordance with international law, including the agreements of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). This article evaluates a range of market-related measures for compatibility with international trade law, including the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade. The law requires measures to be non-discriminatory and, for certain technical regulations, not more trade-restrictive than necessary to achieve a legitimate objective. However, there are exceptions to these rules, including for measures relating to the conservation of exhaustible natural resources or for measures necessary for the protection of animal life or health, public morals, or to secure compliance with certain laws or regulations. While the design of current unilateral measures to combat IUU fishing appears to accord with trade law requirements, this article argues that there is scope for a wider and more collective approach. In this vein, new provisions in the recently concluded Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) are identified. The article concludes with recommendations for governments, international organisations, private actors and the global community wishing to take action in this area.     

The impact of artisanal fishing on coral reef fish health in Hat Thai Mueang,Phang-nga Province,Southern Thailand

This study investigates whether there has been a decline in fish stocks of a coral reef in Thailand, and if so, whether that decline is due to small-scale fishing. The research methods used included fish sampling by UVC, interviews and questionnaires with key informants and artisanal fishers. The results confirmed that there has been a decline in piscivores and carnivores (though not herbivores), and the main perceived threat came not from artisanal but from commercial fishing. Recommendations are to replace the largely unrestricted fishery with a more regulated regime backed by effective enforcement.     

The influence of economic factors in the change of fishing strategies of anchored FAD fishers in the face of declining catch,General Santos City,Philippines

Decline in tuna fish stocks due to weak enforcement of regulations on fishing effort poses a challenge to the sustainability of tuna fishery. Intervention programs to address this problem require an understanding of the operational behaviour of the fishers and how various socioeconomic factors may impact fishers’ decisions to continue or discontinue their fishing efforts. A semi-structured interview questionnaire was developed to find whether fishers are willing to keep, change their fishing strategies or exit the fishery if their regular catch will decline by half. Boat captains, assistant boat captains and crew from General Santos City, Lupon, Mati City and Governor Generoso in the Philippines (n=293) were purposively selected for interviews. Results show that fishers from General Santos City with ancillary industries and Lupon with fewer economic development are more willing to adapt or change their fishing strategies. The catch value or price was found to have a strong influence on the likelihood that anchored FAD tuna fishers will adapt or change their fishing strategy when their catches decline. Fishers whose catch fetched a price of PhP 151.00 (US$ 3.48) and above Php 200 (US$ 4.61) have 80% probability to change their fishing strategy. The proportion of catch sold also had a high influence on the decisions to adapt in the fishery with fishers selling 36% and 73% of their catches have 100% and 70% probability to adapt. The results suggest a reluctance to exit the fisheries even when tuna fishing is no longer economically viable, fishers opt to adapt.     

A rejoinder to Shiffman et al., Trophy fishing for species threatened with extinction: A way forward building on a history of conservation

Shiffman et al. assert that International Game Fish Association (IGFA) records are threatening imperiled fish populations. Here I report that 88% of the species identified by the authors were first listed as threatened within the last 20 years and, during this time, IGFA received a total of 15 All-Tackle record applications for these species. The low number of records placed within the appropriate context of total global landings for these species does not support the hypothesis that IGFA All-Tackle records have a disproportionately negative impact on imperiled species as the authors suggest, but rather a disproportionately low impact.     

The restoration of fishing services and the conveyance of risk information in the Southern California Bight

Southern California's marine areas are heavily contaminated with dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT) and polychlorinated-biphenyls (PCBs), and fish consumption advisories (FCAs) have been issued throughout the region. Between 2002 and 2003, the Montrose Angler Survey, a large-scale survey of subsistence anglers, was developed and implemented on site in Orange and Los Angeles counties. This survey was intended to assist natural resource trustees in the development of restoration programs that will address injuries to natural resources and restore lost economic services for anglers, but the data were never fully analyzed. The trustees have shown a clear preference for ecological restoration programs that may take years to improve fishing services. In contrast, this analysis, which includes a random-parameter fishing site choice model, demonstrates that simple, inexpensive programs such as better signage to warn of FCAs and transportation to clean sites have the potential to yield substantial benefits quickly. This paper also focuses on how different ethnic minority groups are affected by FCAs, and determines how best to communicate risk information and change fishing behavior through outreach programs.     

福建省诏安宫口湾综合治理与渔港规划

提出了一种结合渔港建设进行宫口湾综合治理的新方案,既能防止淤积,保持口门通畅,兼顾防洪和湾内养殖水交换要求,又能确保渔船安全躲避风浪和洪流冲击。设计中采用了获得国家发明专利的新型透空堤,能兼顾消浪和过水两方面要求。     

基于深度学习和时空特征融合的海洋渔船密度预测方法

为了从海量渔船轨迹数据中挖掘隐含的信息和知识,进而为渔业行政主管部门的决策提供科学依据,本研究以AIS渔船轨迹数据为研究对象,提出了一种基于深度学习和面向时空特征融合的海洋渔船密度预测方法：首先,利用渔船轨迹数据集对渔船行驶区域进行网格划分;其次,筛选出渔船高密度区域进行研究,避免数据稀疏性问题;再次,根据渔船轨迹数据的时空分析,构建三维时空融合矩阵;最后,通过卷积循环神经网络模型捕获渔船分布的时间和空间特征,并利用卷积神经网络的堆叠加强对空间特征的学习。实验通过东海海域渔船真实轨迹数据进行具体测试,结果表明渔船密度预测值与真实值非常接近,平均绝对误差为4×10-4,模型较好地拟合了渔船密度分布特征,有效地提高了渔船捕捞热点预测的准确性和鲁棒性。     

诱鱼灯光场计算及其对光诱鱿鱼浮拖网作业的影响

本文运用诱鱼灯光照度的有关公式,计算了光诱鱿鱼浮拖网作业中的光场分布及变化,结合鱿鱼趋光行为习性,分析现有渔具渔法的适应性。结果表明;使用１６盏铊铟灯水上灯,诱鱼最大水平距离比仅使用水下灯增加约６８０倍,但水上灯从１６盏增加到４０盏地,从经济角度分析不很理想;在集鱼过程中,关闭最后一组水上灯后,应有白炽灯经过降压后再地渡到水下灯集鱼;导鱼灯在向网口移动的过程中应继续降低低电压;