162 research outputs found
Closing the gap: Building capacity in Pacific fisheries governance and institutions
No full textGovernance and institutions must function effectively if sustainable development and growth are to occur within the Pacific Islands region. In 2007, the FFA and the Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF), supported by funding from AusAID, contracted Quentin Hanich, Feleti Teo and Professor Martin Tsamenyi to research governance and institutional gaps within the region that undermine the effective management and development of the region\u27s fish stocks. Following an intensive round of interviews throughout the Pacific islands region by all three consultants, Mr Hanich authored a comprehensive report that discussed relevant governance and institutional gaps and recommended a number of potential capacity building responses
Influence and interest: a snapshot of the Western and Central Pacific tropical tuna fisheries
No full textThere are 89 States and territories that have some form of current or historical interest in the tropical tuna fisheries (i.e., bigeye, yellowfin, and skipjack) of the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO).
However, only 14 of them ultimately control access to the most productive fishing grounds and the vessels that fish in them. All but one of these States are full members of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC), and all have some form of vested interest in the long-term sustainability of some part of the tropical tuna fisheries. This paper studies the mix of interests in the WCPO tropical tuna fisheries.
These interests are likely to influence each delegation’s national interest and drive negotiating positions to support or oppose certain measures, depending upon how they affect that State’s interests. Given the complex nature of the WCPO tuna fisheries and their conservation challenges, it is important to understand these interests and consider how States might compromise their interests in an equitable manner that allows for the adoption of a new conservation and management measure for tropical tuna
Distributing the bigeye conservation burden in the western and central pacific fisheries
No full textThe Western and Central Pacific Ocean is home to the world\u27s most productive tuna fisheries, with the majority of tuna catches occurring inside the exclusive economic zones (EEZs) of the region\u27s 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\u27s highly migratory tuna fisheries. However, the WCPFC has since repeatedly failed to adopt conservation and management measures that are sufficient to meet the WCPFC\u27s 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\u27s failure to adopt sufficiently strong conservation and management measures. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved
Australia and the United States' defence diplomacy
No full textThis chapter continues the focus on specific tools of statecraft, by analysing defence diplomacy. While diplomacy has traditionally been understood as the role of civilian diplomats, defence diplomacy has long played an important role in the Pacific Islands region. Defence diplomacy involves the peaceful use of defence resources to pursue foreign and strategic policy objectives. Therefore, defence diplomacy does not include offensive military operations, but it can involve ones for peaceful purposes, such as humanitarian and disaster relief. However, defence diplomacy is often not well-understood, partly because diplomacy is commonly seen only as the domain of civilian diplomats, and partly because there is scepticism about its value. This chapter assesses the nature and effectiveness of defence diplomacy in the Pacific Islands region, with a focus on Australia and the United States, which have long been active partner states. It analyses the following different elements of defence diplomacy: defence cooperation and assistance, maritime surveillance and support, people-to-people links, humanitarian and disaster relief, and minilateral and bilateral arrangements. It concludes by arguing that, while defence diplomacy can be an effective tool of statecraft, more needs to be done to emphasise partnership with Pacific Island countries and to support continued localisation.Joanne Wallis, Quentin Hanich, Michael Rose, Alan Tidwel
Mapping the distribution of the conservation burden
No full textThe negotiation over the scope and application of a conservation measure is a negotiation over how the burden of conservation is distributed. The eventual decision will allocate the costs (conservation limits) and the benefits (fishing opportunities and future productivity improvements). Negotiations have to balance diverse interests and agree on how these interests are compromised.
The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Convention requires parties to ensure that conservation and management measures do not result in transferring a disproportionate burden of conservation action on to developing States (Article 30), and prescribes various criteria to be considered when allocating catch or effort limits (Article 10). Determining the distribution of the conservation burden is a contentious issue as the Commission struggles to adequately respond to scientific advice to limit fishing effort and reduce fishing mortality for bigeye. Given current levels of overfishing and overcapacity, some or all Commission members must necessarily compromise their interests and carry some share of the conservation burden.
This paper analyses WCPFC catch data, annual reports and market data, and presents an approximate graph of Commission member interests and discusses the potential impact of proposed conservation and management measures on these interests. The paper concludes with a proposal for a transparent framework for determining the distribution of the conservation burden.
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This paper was presented at the Scientific Committee of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) in Busan, Korea, August 2012.
Image: Ioannis Kapoulas / flickr
 
The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission and the New Conservation and Management Measure for Tropical Tunas
No full textManaging fisheries and corruption in the Pacific Islands region
No full textThe Pacific Islands region includes some of the smallest countries in the world, some of which are in a precarious economic condition and heavily reliant on the region\u27s tuna fisheries for revenue and food security. The ability of some of these countries to profit from their fisheries resources, and effectively conserve these resources for future generations, is undermined by a combination of economic, governance and institutional weaknesses that make these countries vulnerable to corruption in the fisheries sector
Dolphin-friendly tuna: we're worrying about the wrong species
No full textSeafood is increasingly marketed as the clean, healthy choice for consumers – full of good oils and proteins and low in fat – with canned tuna a favourite cheap source of healthy protein. But science provides ever-worsening reports on the state of many fisheries, and their effect on marine ecosystems. As international conservation negotiations flounder, consumers and industry are increasingly relying on eco-labelling to tell which seafood products come from sustainably managed fisheries. But there’s more to tuna than “dolphin-friendly”: what do these labels really tell us
The Blue Economy: Plenty of Potential
No full textPacific islanders depend on coastal and offshore fisheries for food, jobs and revenue. For example, offshore tuna fishing licenses and access fees can account for a large share of government revenues: 63 per cent in Kiribati, 30 per cent in Tuvalu, and 18 per cent in Nauru (Bell et al. 2015). But growing populations and demand for seafood are resulting in unsustainable catch rates and ecosystem degradation. A sustainable ‘blue economy’ will need better fisheries management that is integrated with other production sectors, and alternative economic activities that reduce ecosystem pressures. This In Brief considers pressure points and policy pathways to achieve better development outcomes.AusAI
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