Designation and management of large‐scale MPAs drawing on the experiences of CCAMLR

With the adoption of the United Nations Law of the Sea came the need for effective worldwide control of marine fisheries. Initially centred on single species, the tasks have extended to ecosystem‐based management through the concept of marine‐protected areas into habitats and biodiversity. These diverse requirements have placed enhanced responsibilities on fisheries management organizations. Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) has successfully developed effective management measures for the Southern Ocean but has encountered difficulties in establishing marine‐protected areas. Key to the success of CCAMLR has been the establishment of conservation measures on clearly defined topics through decision making by consensus. It is argued that the problems that CCAMLR has encountered in establishing marine‐protected areas centre on the range of features, in terms of stakeholder interests, to be afforded protection allied to problems with the consensus process. In this paper, the approaches of CCAMLR in converting the conceptual framework of treaty language into practical management measures using consensus are discussed in relation to the manner in which marine‐protected areas might be established within other fisheries management organizations. It is concluded that the most effective approach is as a composite of strictly focussed conservation measures the sum of which cover all facets of a marine‐protected area. This approach has the further advantage that individual components can be changed without opening the whole legal instrument to re‐negotiation.     

Report card on ecosystem‐based fisheries management in tuna regional fisheries management organizations

International instruments of fisheries governance have set the core principles for the management of highly migratory fishes. We evaluated the progress of tuna Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (tRFMOs) in implementing the ecological component of ecosystem‐based fisheries management (EBFM). We first developed a best case tRFMO for EBFM implementation. Second, we developed criteria to evaluate progress in applying EBFM against this best case tRFMO. We assessed progress of the following four ecological components: target species, bycatch species, ecosystem properties and trophic relationships, and habitats. We found that many of the elements necessary for an operational EBFM are already present, yet they have been implemented in an ad hoc way, without a long‐term vision and a formalized plan. Overall, tRFMOs have made considerable progress monitoring the impacts of fisheries on target species, moderate progress for bycatch species, and little progress for ecosystem properties and trophic relationships and habitats. The tRFMOs appear to be halfway towards implementing the ecological component of EBFM, yet it is clear that the “low‐hanging fruit” has been plucked and the more difficult, but surmountable, issues remain, notably the sustainable management of bycatch. All tRFMOs share the same challenge of developing a formal mechanism to better integrate ecosystem science and advice into management decisions. We hope to further discussion across the tRFMOs to inform the development of operational EBFM plans.