A number of United Nation members are still falling short in following through on their fisheries commitments, according to Pew Charitable Trusts.
With UN members set to gather in New York later this month to conduct a periodic evaluation of United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement — which demands cooperation on the management of shared fish stocks — the environmental group claims regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs) have a long way to go.
“It’s not that the scientific advice is poor or that fishery managers lack the tools to get the job done,” said Pew, in reference to a recent analysis, broken down by each RFMO.
“The real question is whether the countries responsible for managing these fish stocks are following through on the commitments they’ve made to do a better job.”
While a few depleted tuna stocks, such as eastern Atlantic bluefin, were reported to be on the road to recovery, others continue to experience overfishing, said the group.
“The agreement mandates precautionary management to ‘protect the living marine resources and preserve the marine environment’, it said.
“The RFMOs can meet this obligation by establishing what are known as reference points. A target reference point identifies the ideal level of fishing, while a limit reference point defines the danger zone for a stock, the point beyond which fishing is no longer sustainable.”
“Setting these based on the best science can help restore depleted stocks or ensure that healthy populations remain vibrant for years to come.”
Pew also highlighted the plight of sharks — the species most threatened by tuna fishing.
“No RFMO has taken sufficient action to fully manage sharks, which continue to be caught in significant numbers,” said Pew.
“Unfortunately, the debate over how to define much of the shark catchwhether it is targeted or an example of unintended by-catchhas prevented some members from implementing effective, precautionary management.”
Members of several RFMOs have claimed they cannot act on proposals because they lack sufficient information, but this was dismissed by Pew.
“That [argument] goes against their obligations to apply the precautionary approach,” it said. “For vulnerable shark and ray species, this inaction could lead to stock collapses, as seen with oceanic whitetip sharks globally.”
The group also flagged up the need to better identify and monitor fishing vessels.
“Fisheries management decisions will accomplish little if there is no way to ensure that measures put in place by RFMOs are implemented and enforced,” it said.
“Since the adoption of the fish stocks agreement, the international community has reached a consensus about the critical importance of requiring that fishing vessels have unique and permanent identification numbers so managers can better track them.”