The Northwest Pacific—the UNEP action plan facing the sub-polar Asian seas

The countries surrounding the Northwest Pacific marginal seas have different levels of economic development and different political systems. With the rapid economic development in the region, the marine environment received high pressure, which requires high attention of the governments concerned, and urgent actions.As the Northwest Pacific marginal seas shared by several countries, regional co-operation and co-ordination are the effective means to address the marine environmental problems in the region. The Northwest Pacific Action Plan, the Northeast Asian Regional GOOS are providing the intergovernmental mechanism to facilitate the regional co-operation and co-ordination. Effective implementation of these projects is a critical task facing to all countries in the region.     

Managing straddling stocks: the interplay of global and regional regimes

During the past decade, a number of rivalries over fish stocks straddling from coastal zones into the high seas turned into bitter disputes involving some of the world's foremost fishing nations. This article examines the interplay of global and regional efforts to strengthen the basis for management of high seas fisheries. The overall effect of the 1995 UN Fish Stocks Agreement for the effectiveness of regional management of straddling stocks is to support and globalize institutional features, especially regarding compliance control, that had so far been confined to the most advanced regional regimes. Such interplay between regimes can usefully be analyzed by distinguishing four causal pathways: (1) diffusion, in that one regime may influence the material contents of another; (2) political spillover, when interests or capabilities defined under one regime influence the operation of another; (3) normative interplay, when the rules upheld in one regime conflict or reinforce those established under another; and (4) operational interplay, referring to deliberate coordination of activities under separate regimes in order to avoid normative conflict or wasteful duplication. The article seeks to pinpoint the conditions under which these types of interplay are triggered.     

Rights based fishing on the high seas: Is it possible?

The high seas fisheries are troubled by overcapacity and lax enforcement of management rules. The idea has emerged that these problems could be dealt with by property rights solutions such as ITQs. Such management tools only emerged after the 200-mile EEZ was established. This made it possible to apply the sovereign state's legislative, enforcement and judiciary apparatus to regulate fisheries. It is argued that without the EEZ such solutions would have been unlikely to emerge, and that a further extension of the EEZ is necessary to apply rights-based regulations to high seas fisheries. The current management regime of high seas fisheries lacks the necessary enforcement apparatus, which makes it necessary to apply trade sanctions, port measures and blacklisting to support regulations of high seas fisheries. It is argued that such measures are likely to be the second best, compared to further extending coastal state jurisdiction. Finally a bioeconomic model is applied to analyze potential gains from cooperation in high seas fisheries.     

Autonomy and regionalisation in the fisheries management of northwestern Russia

Since the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the main challenge of the fisheries management in northwestern Russia has been to adapt to ever more quickly changing surroundings. This article reviews the efforts of different management bodies to secure autonomy from industry interests, as well as the quest of regional authorities to attain control of the quota distribution. Major changes have in effect occurred in the Russian enforcement control of the Barents Sea, partly as a result of cooperation with Norwegian authorities. In the quota distribution, however, autonomy and regionalisation are still quite uncertain quantities.     

北冰洋公海渔业权益争端的博弈分析——基于环北极国家视角

北冰洋公海尚处于冰封状态,但气候变暖、海冰加速融化使未来公海出现新渔场成为可能,其战略价值因而得到国际关注。当前,环北极国家已率先展开渔业权益争夺。为分析北冰洋公海渔业事务的国际走势,文章基于博弈论思想,构建非对称懦夫博弈模型及古诺模型来模拟和探究环北极国家在渔业利益争夺中的合作或冲突行为,研究得出:现阶段北冰洋公海渔业权益争端主要表现为渔业管理权的争夺,在该博弈中,非北冰洋沿岸国采取退让策略,沿岸国采取进攻策略,可以达到进化稳定均衡;一旦公海具备捕鱼条件,争端将演化为开发模式选择的博弈,此时,北冰洋沿岸国采取合作开发策略可以有效保护公海渔业资源,并实现国家的长期利益。     

Can fisheries management be quantified?

Policy efforts to reduce fisheries impact have often created micro-management. Detailed regulations are restricting the fishing industry, and are also acknowledged to limit the progress towards sustainable management. Industry representatives, political bodies and scientists have therefore argued for more simplicity and transparency. Here, fisheries management is quantified in terms of trends in regulations for different Swedish fisheries in the Baltic Sea during the period 1995–2009. The results suggest that many fisheries are suffering from increased micro-management, but interestingly some fisheries showing a different trend.     

Malaysian fisheries policy : Search for new grounds

Past fisheries development policies in Malaysia are assessed and new grounds for managing the Malaysian fisheries are explored. Some incompatibility in the goals for fishery development are discerned, especially those of increasing domestic landings through mechanization and resource conservation. Future management efforts should be based on a fuller understanding of the fishery stock and regional management of fish stocks. Aquaculture is often seen as a plausible alternative in order to augment supplies from the capture fisheries. A comprehensive multidisciplinary approach is needed to transform and commercialize traditional, experience-dependent culture systems into technology-packaged systems based on scientific methods. There is also substantial potential for the development of recreational fisheries.     

Fragmentation in high seas fisheries: Preliminary reflections on a global oceans governance approach

Notwithstanding the wide range of actions taken to strengthen the legal regime of international fisheries, overexploitation and the risk of depletion of stocks have been strong concerns for decades. Indeed, the regime of international fisheries law is currently not rooted in sustainability, and it does not adequately take into consideration the impact of fishing activities on the wider marine environment. One of the main causes lies in fragmentation of international fisheries law: a lack of coordination between instruments and institutions, and gaps in effective coherent structures for fisheries management. Areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ), including the high seas, are particularly prone to this lack of coordination and integration.One alternative to reach a durable management of high seas fisheries might be found in a ‘global oceans governance approach’. This paper explores how this approach could impact the fragmented regime of fisheries. It suggests that governance-based perspectives underline concepts rooted in adaptability and interactions, concepts that suggest to approach international fisheries law not as a static set of rules but as an evolutive process. Reflecting on an overarching goal of coordination and possible management challenges in ABNJ provides an interesting starting point to develop a comprehensive understanding of the impacts of oceans governance on the fragmented legal regime of high seas fisheries. We now need to see how to give effect to governance, a task that remains, at this point, a work in progress.     

全球海洋观测系统及我们的对策初探

全球海洋观测系统（ Ｇ Ｏ Ｏ Ｓ－ ｔｈｅ Ｇｌｏｂａｌ Ｏｃｅａｎ Ｏｂｓｅｒｖｉｎｇ Ｓｙｓｔｅｍ） 是一个新型的、根据用户需要对海洋资料进行获取、收集、质量控制和分发的全球性业务化系统。它由气候、海洋生物资源、海洋健康、海岸带环境和海洋服务等五个模块组成。 Ｇ Ｏ Ｏ Ｓ 计划目前已由概念设计阶段进入到地区性示范阶段,东北亚 Ｇ Ｏ Ｏ Ｓ 计划和欧洲 Ｇ Ｏ Ｏ Ｓ 计划已取得一些进展。 Ｇ Ｏ Ｏ Ｓ 计划已受到世界各海洋国家的关注和支持,参与的国家越来越多。本文介绍了 Ｇ Ｏ Ｏ Ｓ 计划的背景、目标、任务和 Ｇ Ｏ Ｏ Ｓ系统的构成,简述了迄今取得的进展,讨论了我们从参与 Ｇ Ｏ Ｏ Ｓ 计划可获得的效益,并对我国实施 Ｇ Ｏ Ｏ Ｓ 计划提出了一些建议。     

Frozen fish block: how commited are North Atlantic States to accountability,conservation and management of fisheries?

The North Atlantic Ocean has numerous global, regional, and sub-regional instruments for fisheries management. Research for this paper has examined North Atlantic State levels of compliance with these instruments. The study reveals there to be moderate levels of overall compliance, and a latitudinal gradient of compliance with Northern States scoring higher than those in the south. Of particular significance for other global regions, and the future development of international fisheries law, are the findings that: few regional fishery bodies have a systematic program in place to monitor and assess compliance; and despite overall moderate levels of compliance with the conservation and management regimes, most fishery stocks are either overexploited or at risk or collapse.     

Nine nations,one ocean: A benchmark appraisal of the South Western Indian Ocean Fisheries Project (2008–2012)

Coastal and island states of the Western Indian Ocean lack scientific and management capacity to draw sustainable benefits from their Exclusive Economic Zones. Declining ecosystem services and unregulated fishing has prompted nine riparian countries to develop a regional framework for capacity building and scientific development towards collective management of shared resources. Supported by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the Agulhas and Somali Currents large marine ecosystems programme consists of three inter-related modules, supported by different agencies: land-based impacts on the marine environment (UNEP); productivity, ecosystem health and nearshore fisheries (UNDP) and transboundary shared and migrating fisheries resources (World Bank). The latter is the South Western Indian Ocean Fisheries Project (SWIOFP), a 5-year joint data gathering and fisheries assessment initiative. SWIOFP is a prelude to long-term cooperative fisheries management in partnership with the newly established FAO–South Western Indian Ocean Fisheries Commission (SWIOFC). We describe the development of SWIOFP as a model of participatory regional scientific cooperation and collective ocean management.     

The impact of OSPAR on protected area management beyond national jurisdiction: Effective regional cooperation or a network of paper parks?

Various international treaty bodies and non-governmental organisations continuously urge States to establish a network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in areas beyond the limits of national jurisdiction (ABNJ). Although this goal is far from being reached, the OSPAR Convention may serve as an example illustrating the efforts made on a regional level for the North-East Atlantic. However, these efforts to effectively protect the marine environment are subject to limitations under the Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Likewise, the OSPAR Convention itself restricts the scope of such protected areas. The OSPAR Convention does not adequately cover all human uses of the oceans that may interfere with a protected area, and it lacks opportunities for internationalised enforcement measures. Consequently, the responsibility for effective conservation measures under the OSPAR model ultimately remains with individual Contracting Parties, i.e. their commitment to set stricter standards and to agree on their enforcement. Nevertheless, ‘soft’ obligations such as reporting duties are suitable for collecting data on the need for protection and utilisation of the MPAs. Additionally, cooperation with regional fisheries management bodies allows for better protection of the living resources in these areas. Finally, OSPAR MPAs can draw attention to particularly vulnerable ecosystems and promote conservation standards and measures such as those developed under the auspices of the FAO.     

区域渔业管理组织对脆弱海洋生态系统的保护浅析

21世纪以来底拖网渔业的快速发展给脆弱海洋生态系统（VME）带来极大威胁,导致公海深海渔业发展不可持续以及海洋生物多样性降低。为更好地实现养护海洋渔业资源和保护海洋生物多样性的目标,同时为我国在保护VME以及管理公海深海渔业方面提供参考,文章分析八大区域渔业管理组织（RFMO）针对VME保护采取的系列措施及其保护VME的可行性,针对存在的问题提出对策建议,并对我国在RFMO中保护VME进行展望。研究结果表明：《公海深海渔业管理国际准则》在RFMO保护VME的实践中发挥重要的指导作用;RFMO采取的措施限制深海渔业活动,但为保护VME和养护海洋渔业资源提供重要基础和保障;未来RFMO应加强信息共享和技术合作,发展VME分布预测技术,同时在保护海洋生物多样性方面积极开展双边和多边合作;我国应进一步研究和实践基于生态系统的渔业管理方法,平衡保护与开发利用的关系,积极参与国际渔业管理和VME保护并促进合作,加强南极海域海洋保护区综合治理。     

Distributing the bigeye conservation burden in the western and central pacific fisheries

The Western and Central Pacific Ocean is home to the world's most productive tuna fisheries, with the majority of tuna catches occurring inside the exclusive economic zones (EEZs) of the region's developing coastal States. It is important that these fisheries are managed effectively throughout their range, both within and between EEZs and on the high seas. Unrestrained exploitation in a particular EEZ or on the high seas has the potential to significantly impact on catches elsewhere with potentially devastating consequences for developing coastal States, some of which have few alternate resources. The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) was established in 2004 to manage the region's highly migratory tuna fisheries. However, the WCPFC has since repeatedly failed to adopt conservation and management measures that are sufficient to meet the WCPFC's conservation and sustainable use objectives. This paper analyses catch data from the WCPFC and suggests that the weak position of bigeye (in a strategic political context), the unwillingness of members to compromise their interests and the lack of a transparent framework for distributing the burden of conservation are key factors in the WCPFC's failure to adopt sufficiently strong conservation and management measures.     

Coastal initiative of the Global Terrestrial Observing System

The three global observing systems (the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS); the Global Oceanographic Observing System (GOOS); and the Global Terrestrial Observing System (GTOS)) are designed to detect and assess global change. A land-based coastal observing system initiative under GTOS is at the beginnings and will lead toward the integration of terrestrial and freshwater observations with marine observations under the auspices of coastal GOOS. The GTOS infrastructure already builds on national, regional and global programs for terrestrial observations, but more emphasis is needed on the unique circumstances of coastal ecosystems. Coastal GTOS will use the observing system philosophy and infrastructure to identify and improve access to data and information about coastal change; assist users to make that access systematically; ensure that appropriate measures are being or can be made; and integrate terrestrial observations with marine observations. Key variables have been defined for GTOS. But major challenges include evaluating these and others for coastal ecosystems and identifying the indicators of coastal condition that operate at appropriate scales.     

Management procedures in the US fishery conservation zone

The author provides an overview of the management process and indicates, on the basis of experience to date, how procedures are being developed to generate and implement fishery management plans. The article includes discussion of the Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976 and of the structure and operation of US regional fisheries commissions. It concludes with an analysis of potential problem areas that threaten the development of a sound management programme.     

Assessing the significance of the economic impact of Marine Conservation Zones in the Irish Sea upon the fisheries sector and regional economy in Northern Ireland

This paper highlights the tension between advocacy for ‘Blue growth’ in maritime policy and efforts to safeguard future economic growth via the Marine Strategy Framework Directive. In 2015, policy-makers withdrew three of four proposed Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) in the Irish Sea from consideration for designation, due to concerns that they could significantly impact on the fisheries sector in Northern Ireland because they overlap with prawn fishing grounds in the Irish Sea. Although research has quantified the potential impact upon fishing vessels, none has quantified the impact upon the fisheries sector nor assessed the significance of this impact. Arguably, MCZ designations (or lack thereof) based on the ‘significance’ of an impact require robust underpinning evidence. This paper reports the findings of an Economic Impact Assessment, which has quantified the impact of a decline in landings upon the Northern Ireland fisheries sector and regional economy (data which is currently absent from the evidence base for the MCZ designation process in England). It finds that this will incur job losses in three fishing ports in Northern Ireland, but is unlikely to have a significant impact upon Northern Ireland's fisheries sector and regional economy in terms of jobs and Gross Value Added (GVA). In the worst case, the resulting economic impact is a decrease of £1.05–1.12 m/year GVA in Northern Ireland, which is 1.1% of the contribution of fishing and fish processing to the regional economy. Economic significance assessments, using this methodology, may be useful in supporting the evidence base underpinning MCZ designation and other aspects of marine planning.     

Sometimes you cannot make it on your own; drivers and scenarios for regional cooperation in implementing the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive

Implementing the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive explicitly calls for regional cooperation between the EU Member States in the different regional seas. This regional cooperation, although set in a general framework of EU Member States and non-EU states utilising existing Regional Sea Conventions as focal point, develops along different tracks. Based on a series of interviews with different stakeholder groups in the different regional seas the drivers for this regional cooperation were determined. These drivers were used to develop a set of scenarios to depict possible ways and structures for cooperation at the different regional seas. In this paper the result of this analysis and the different scenarios developed are presented. The five scenarios developed were very helpful in elaborating alternative governance models for regional cooperation. From the validation by the stakeholders it became clear that both the drivers used, as the scenarios developed were found to be relevant. There is no single solution that is going to fit all regional seas, or that is going to appeal to all stakeholders within a regional sea. Especially in this setting the scenario approach does help people to explore the full range of possibilities that exists for the development of alternative governance models that address two issues raised but not detailed in the MSFD: cooperation and participation.     

Taiwan's response to international fisheries management after 2005 as influenced by ICCAT and fishers' perception

It is widely recognized that fishing states are obliged to exercise flag state responsibility over their vessels. In an attempt to become a responsible fishing actor, Taiwan has endeavored to manage its distant water fishing fleet in accordance with international fisheries management. However, the long-standing problems of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, fish laundering, and fishing overcapacity, which remained unsolved during the 1990s and early 2000s, brought its management capability into doubt. Failure to address these problems undermined the credibility of all management measures and ultimately resulted in a recommendation adopted by International Commission for the Conservation of the Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) in 2005. This recommendation significantly affected Taiwan's distant water fishing policy. This paper examines how Taiwan assimilated this outside force into its fishing policy as a new response to international fisheries management and how fishers perceived this response. It shows that Taiwan's efforts in controlling distant water fisheries marked a big change, specifically manifest in three noticeable actions - reducing excessive bigeye-targeted efforts, deterring IUU fishing, and strengthening fisheries management. The study advises that management of small tuna vessels be effectively exercised and recommends future actions on providing subsidies for fishers to partially offset costs incurred by rule compliance, streamlining their administrative work, enhancing communication with them, putting more enforcement and meaningful penalties in place. Finally, the study indicates the existence of an interaction in the international fisheries management scheme, potentially favoring Taiwan to bargain for fishing rights and a favorable status in the participation of regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs) in the future if it continues to exercise effective control of distant water fisheries.     

Subsidies to high seas bottom trawl fleets and the sustainability of deep-sea demersal fish stocks

The life spans of demersal species of fishes occurring in deep-waters are much longer and their potential growth rates much lower than those of related shallow water species. As a result, deep-sea demersal fish species are more vulnerable to exploitation. This is because low growth rates relative to the available market discount rate for capital makes it desirable for fishing firms to mine, rather than sustainably exploit, these resources even in the absence of fisheries subsidies. However, it is common knowledge that governments around the world do provide subsidies to their fishing industries. The objective of this contribution is to estimate the global amount of subsidies paid to bottom trawl fleets operating in the high seas, i.e., outside of the Exclusive Economic Zones of maritime countries. Our study suggests that fisheries subsidies to these fleets stand at about US$152 million per year, which constitutes 25% of the total landed value of the fleet. Economic data for bottom trawlers suggest that the profit achieved by this vessel group is normally not more than 10% of landed value. The implication of this finding is that without subsidies, the bulk of the world's bottom trawl fleet operating in the high seas will be operating at a loss, and unable to fish, thereby reducing the current threat to deep-sea and high seas fish stocks.