Fisheries and Oceans Canada
www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Common menu bar links
Reviewing a Very Important Governance Tool United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement
In May, Canada and fishing nations around the world met in New York to assess the progress made by countries and regional fisheries regimes to implement the United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement (UNFA).
UNFA provides a framework for the conservation and management of straddling and highly migratory fish stocks in high seas areas regulated by regional fisheries management organizations.
Straddling stocks are fish that "straddle" or migrate through the 200-mile limit of coastal states and adjacent high seas waters; fish like cod, flounder, and turbot. Highly migratory stocks travel through large areas of international waters and through the 200-mile limits of coastal States. Tuna is a good example of a highly migratory fish stock.
UNFA is a relatively young agreement; adopted by the UN in August, 1995, it only entered into force in December, 2001. Nevertheless, it is an important tool for the modernization of international fisheries and oceans governance. Among its strengths, UNFA obliges States to use the precautionary approach and the ecosystem approach when managing fisheries on the high seas. It also gives States the right to monitor and inspect vessels of other state parties to verify compliance with internationally agreed fishing rules of regional fisheries regimes, such as the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization and the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas.
The purpose of the meeting in New York was to review how effective UNFA has been, to see where there is room for improvement, and to promote broader ratification.
Note: This page contains links to Web sites not under the control of the Government of Canada. For further information on our hyperlinking practices, please refer to the Hyperlinking Notice.
Backgrounders
Links
- United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement Review Conference Website
- UN News Story – UN conference considers measures to limit illegal fishing
May 24, 2006
- UN News Story – Countries call for wider support for UN agreement to curtail high-seas overfishing
May 22, 2006
Reports
- FAO’s new report on highly migratory and straddling fish stocks
- International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas submission on compliance with UNFA
- Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission submission on compliance with UNFA
- Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission Fishery Status Report
- WWF – Learning from experience and best practice in regional fisheries management organizations
