Sinking "straddling" fish stocks find chances of survival as an international treaty is approved to check overfishing
THE depleting fish stock of the world
may yet not take a headlong plunge with
the first international treaty to curtail
overfishing in the open seas being
approved by governments of more than
100 countries last month, at the UN
headquarters in New York.
The protocol marks the end of 3
years of protracted and acerbic negotiations among the world's fishing nations.
Fierce battles which became common
between various nations over fishing
rights, should now end with the deal
which provides for protecting "straddling" or "migratory" fish which swim
in and out of national maritime bound-
aries. These fish, which account for 20
per cent of the fish population, include
cod, pollack, tuna and swordfish.
The treaty calls for the right to set
fishing quotas by the regional regulatory
organizations and the countries who
sign the treaty. Other enforcement procedures give the inspectors the right to
board and search vessels. Fishing boats
will now have to report the size of their
catches and if they are found to be carrying illegal fishing gear which does not
fish 'selectively' and nets other sea creatures like sea turtles or porpoises, they can be booked. The accord also establishes that in the case of conflict over fishing rights in the absence of a regional agreement, a third party would be given compulsory and binding authority to settle the dispuie. The treaty also
addresses the waste generated by the
fishing fleets which annually dump millions of dead fish which are caught
alongwith the required catch at sea.
The primary responsibility will lie
with the country whose vessel is plying.
This has been opposed by certain non-
governmental organizations who feel
that this clause will prove to be disadvantageous to the developing nations as
the developed nations, with their superior resources would shift to waters near
these nations. Further, the treaty does
not cover the issue of fishing in territorial waters within each country's 200-
mile "exclusive economic zone". In-fact,
it is in these waters that maximum fishing takes place. Six countries mainly
account for 90 per cent of the global
fishing figure on the world's shared
waters, and these include Japan, Poland,
Russia, South Korea, Spain and Taiwan.
According to Satya Nandan, chairman of the UN conference, "The freedom to fish on the high seas no longFr
exists as it once did." Added Brian
Tobin, Canada's minister of fisheries
and oceans, "We have made clear that
the desire to harvest fish must take a
backseat to the need to sustain fish."
Meanwhile, the UN Food and
AgricaltuTiz.Organization has warned
that 70 per cent of the world's fish stocks
are either fully exploited, overfished or depleted.
For the treaty to become a legally
binding agreement, it has to be ratified
by 30 nations. It will be opened for
signature on December 4 this year.
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