International Fisheries Management

Question 1

ICCAT stand for?

Answer 1

International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas

Question 2

RFMOs

Answer 2

regional fisheries management organisations

Question 3

How many RFMOs are there?

Answer 3

5 - ICCAT is one of them.

Question 4

When was ICCAT established?

Answer 4

1969

Question 5

How many member nations is within ICCAT?

Answer 5

52 (included EU)

Question 6

ICCAT Convention Area

Answer 6

Ocean and adjacent seas

Question 7

Convention Resources

Answer 7

Tunas and tuna-like species

Question 8

ICCAT’s function

Answer 8

• Collection and analysis of statistical information
  
  • Joint planning of research, evaluation of results
  • Joint formulation of management recommendations

Question 9

SCRS stand for

Answer 9

Standing Committee for Research and Statistics

Question 10

How does SCARs assist ICCAT?

Answer 10

fisheries science
It comprised of scientists from member parties
Conduct assessments
Provide recommendations to management (which may or may not follow such recommendations)

Question 11

U.S. Representation at ICCAT

Answer 11

3 US Commissioners
Federal, Commercial, and Recreational
Presidential appointments, 3-year terms

Question 12

Who is responsible for implementing ICCAT managment measures?

Answer 12

The National Marine Fishereis Service (NMFS)

Question 13

What are challenges in international fisheries management?

Answer 13

Science-based management: short term economic and/or political considerations can trump conservation objectives

Compliance: up to member countries to collect/submit data, and 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

Question 14

Science-based management?

Answer 14

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

Question 15

What are Harvest Strategies?

Answer 15

Actions that automatically take place if stock fall below the biological reference point.

Question 16

Why manage fisheries?

Answer 16

Open access fisheries often overexploited and generally unprofitable (tragedy of the commons)

Management often seeks to optimize human-derived benefits via conservation measures

Question 17

What do fisheries provide?

Answer 17

Food
Jobs and income
Cultural benefits

Question 18

Historical management

Answer 18

Large-scale management efforts (national, international) did not exist until 20th century

Question 19

Freedom of the Seas 1609

Answer 19

Coastal states were recognized as having sovereignty as far as cannons could fire from land (~3 miles)

international waters beyond

Little ability to manage most marine species

Question 20

US Commission of Fish and Fisheries 1871

Answer 20

Established 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

Question 21

International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) 1902

Answer 21

oldest intergovernmental science organization

Formed in response to concerns over fish stocks in the region

Question 22

International Pacific Halibut Commission

Answer 22

Established by the US & Canadia in 1923
Permitted research and ability to set seasons

Question 23

Law of the Sea Treaty - 1973-1982

Answer 23

defined 200-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) that provides exclusive rights to fisheries, minerals, and seafloor deposits

Question 24

Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC) 1875

Answer 24

The 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

Question 25

Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) 1942

Answer 25

Manage stocks that occur primarily in inshore waters of several states
Works in collaboration with state and federal managers

Question 26

Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSFCMA) 1976

Answer 26

Overarching legislation for the 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)

Question 27

MSFCMA established ___ regional FIshery Management Councils

Answer 27

8

Question 28

Management Council Functions

Answer 28

Develop and amend fishery management plans

Convene committees and panels

Develop research priorities

Set catch limits based on science

Vote on management actions

Question 29

Sustainable Fisheries Act (1996)

Answer 29

Added definitions for “overfished” and “overfishing”
Specify objective & measurable criteria for determining stock status
Precautionary → MSY as the limit
Identify essential fish habitats, minimize impacts from fishing

Question 30

Magnuson-Stevens Reauthorization Act (2007)

Answer 30

Establish annual catch limits and accountability measures
Promote market-based management strategies
Improve science and data
Enhance international cooperation, address IUU and bycatch

Question 31

“Optimum Yield” (OY)

Answer 31

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

Question 32

NOAA Fisheries mangages:

Answer 32

tunas, sharks, swordfish, and billfish occurring in the US Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean

Question 33

Why did NOAA take over this fishery management?

Answer 33

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

Question 34

UN Law of the Sea defines

Answer 34

EEZ boundaries

Question 35

The majority of global catch and revenues come from

Answer 35

transboundary species (cross EEZs of two or more bordering countries)
Catches from shared species declining more than non-shared

Question 36

What is expected to exacerbate international management challenges?

Answer 36

Climate-induced range shifts

Question 37

South Pacific Tuna Treaty (1988)

Answer 37

Allows US purse seiners to fish EEZs of Pacific island countries

Question 38

US & Canada have agreements for what two species?

Answer 38

Salmon and Halibut

Question 39

Conservation and Management of Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Species (1996)

Answer 39

UN agreement to enhance cooperative management of straddling and highly migratory fish stocks

Utilize the best available science & precautionary approach, promote optimum use of fisheries resources

Question 40

Regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs):

Answer 40

International body made up of countries that share a practical or financial interest in managing shared stocks

Question 41

Who are members of the RFMOs

Answer 41

coastal countries within a stock’s range and distant water fishing nations

Question 42

How many RFMOs does the US participate in?

Answer 42

11 (3/5 tune RFMOs)