Strengthening Regional Fisheries Management Organisations
With the development and entry into force of the United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement
in 1995, the international community made a commitment to strengthen Regional Fisheries
Management Organizations (RFMOs), established to deal with the management of shared
high seas resources. This study takes stock of the changes made in RFMOs, highlighting
a gradual process of improvement that has translated into significant success stories.
While there is no single recipe for this process, ensuring that the fundamental building
blocks are in place to help create and maintain the economic and political momentum
for change is important. Altering the underlying economic incentives may help to better
align the interests of member countries, allowing coalitions for change to develop
within the membership. The study and its analysis is built on evidence from a range
of case studies of RFMOs, most notably the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna (CSBT),
the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), the Northwest
Atlantic Fisheries Organisation (NAFO) and the North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission
(NEAFC).
Published on October 19, 2009Also available in: French