JAPAN REDUCED TUNA FISHING CAPACITY AS A CONSERVATION MEASURE

JAPAN REDUCED TUNA FISHING CAPACITY AS A CONSERVATION MEASURE

Japan scrapped 132 tuna longline vessels to be responsive to worldwide concerns about overcapacity of fishing fleets which can contribute to overfishing. The fleet reduction completed by the end of this year was the result of a commitment by the Japanese Government and Japan Tuna Federation to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Committee on Fisheries (COFI) in February 1999. The scrapping of 132 vessels put 1300 Japanese fishermen out of work and caused significant hardships to others who had been working for tuna related industry. The task cost 28.6 billion Japanese Yen (US$238.6 million) to the Government.

In order to ensure the action by Japan to be meaningful, other nations must pursue similar reduction of large scale tuna longline fishing vessels, in particular those nations with flag of convenience vessels fishing for tunas.

THE AD-HOC WORKSHOP OF THE APEC FISHERIES WORKING GROUP ADOPTED THE RECOMMENDATION ON INTERNATIONAL REDUCTION OF FISHING CAPACITY FOR LARGE SCALE TUNA LONGLINE AND ELIMINATION OF FLAG OF CONVENIENCE FISHING VESSELS.

Ad-hoc Workshop of the APEC Fisheries Working Group on fisheries management was held at Kesennum a city, Japan from 13th to 15th July 1999 with participation of 21 APEC member countries and regional organizations. Management of fishing capacity was one of the major issues. The workshop adopted the important recommendations, urging the need of concerted action to reduce large scale tuna longline fleet capacity and to eliminate the operation of flag of convenience fishing vessels. The recommendations are as per annex I and II.

Annex I
Recommendation by the Ad-hoc Workshop of APEC Fisheries Working Group on Fisheries Management to APEC Fisheries Working group on Fishing Capacity for Large Scale Tuna Longline

The Ad-hoc Workshop of the APEC Fisheries Working Group on Fisheries Management

Recognizing that excess fishing capacity is a significant concern in many fisheries world-wide, as it can lead to unsustainable catch levels, fish stock depletion and, ultimately, declining catches of important commercial species, with consequent adverse economic, social and marine environmental impacts;

Recalling the International Plan of Action for the Management of Fishing Capacity adopted by the FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI) in February 1999 and that the COFI's expression of satisfaction that the fishing capacity of tuna long-liners was being reduced by the major fishing nations, including Japan, and its encouragement of other Economies to make similar reduction as appropriate;

Also recalling that the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries of the FAO(1995) and the Kyoto Declaration and Plan of Action(1995) each note the need for management fishing capacity, and call for the reduction of excessive fishing capacity to that end,

1. Welcomes Japan's implementation in the 1998/1999 of reduction program of twenty percent (namely 132 vessels) in the number of its large scale tuna longline fishing vessels, in accordance with FAO Plan of Action.

2. Recognizes some economies previous efforts including Japan, Korea and Chinese Taipei, on reducing number of large scale tuna longline fishing vessels.

3. Welcomes Chinese Taipei's commitment to take further reduction of large scale tuna longline fishing vessels in accordance with FAO International Plan of Action

4. Expects the fruitful cooperation from major Asian Large scale tuna long-line fisheries to enhance the effectiveness for the restoration and recovery of the tuna stocks.

5. Recommends APEC economies to,
(a) take concerted action to reduced large scale tuna longline fleet capacity in fisheries where there is a recognized problem of excessive fishing capacity, by implementing their own fleet capacity reduction plan as appropriate*
(b) implement the FAO International Plan of Action for the Management of Fishing capacity, including the adoption and implementation of national plan for action for managing fishing capacity
(c) cooperate, in case of highly migratory stocks, through regional fisheries management organization, with a view of ensuring the effective management, including
i) exchange of information on the stock status, fishing capacity, movement of fishing vessels etc.
ii) promoting the contribution to the FAO consultation for the standardized measurement of fishing capacity.
iii) to cooperate to assess fishing capacity at the regional level and at the global level for highly migratory stocks as well as the identification of regional or global fisheries and fleets requiring urgent measures.
iv) technical assistance
(d) take all relevant measures to eliminate the operation of flag of convenience fishing vessels.

6. Recommends APEC Fisheries Working Group to circulate this recommendation to all regional fisheries management organizations and FAO to call for its attention.

Foot note
* The required reduction would vary from fishery to fishery; e.g. a 20 to 30% reduction was mentioned for larger-scale tuna longline flee (Technical Working Group on the Management of Fishing Capacity, 15-18 April 1998, FAO Fisheries Report No. 586).

Annex II
Recommendation by the Ad-hoc Workshop of APEC Fisheries Working Group on Fisheries Management to the APEC Fisheries Working Group on the Issue of Flag of Convenience Fishing Vessels

The Ad-hoc Workshop of the APEC Fisheries Working Group on Fisheries Management

Recognizing that many fishing vessels, more than two hundred in case of tuna longline fishing vessels, are reflagged to non-member states of regional fisheries management organizations, in order to avoid compliance with or to undermine international fisheries conservation and management measure,

Noting that most of these vessels originate in a few member economies and are exported to other states or other fishing entities which are not members of regional fisheries management organizations,

Recognizing that catches by such vessels pose a threat to the effective implementation and application of conservation and management measures adopted by regional fisheries management organizations,

Further recognizing the commercial disadvantage encountered by vessels which fish responsibly by adhering to international fisheries conservation and management measures,

Recalling that excess fishing capacity is a significant concern for many fisheries world-wide, and that the FAO International Plan of Action for the Management of Fishing Capacity was adopted by the FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI) in February 1999,

Noting that APEC Leaders have encouraged member economies, as applicable, to ratify the UN Fish Stocks Agreement;

And further noting the importance for member economies to become party on a priority basis, as applicable, to the FAO Compliance Agreement and importance of implementing the FAO Code of Conduc t for Responsible Fisheries;

It is hereby recommended that the APEC economies:
1. discourage their nationals and companies from engaging in fishing activities on vessels of FOC states and to promote international cooperation for progressively eliminating such activities

2. to this end, take the following measure, in due course, in accordance with their domestic laws and international law:
(a) monitor and promote, through regional fisheries management organizations, FAO and bilateral or multilateral consultations, the exchange of information concerning fishing activities of vessels of FOC states and previous and present ownership of and investment in such vessels;
(b) discourage the transfer of vessels registered under flags of APEC economies to the registers of countries which are neither members of regional fisheries management organizations nor cooperate with such organizations and undermine the effectiveness of conservation and management measure adopted by these organizations;
(c) urge the flag States of vessels of FOC states to assume their obligations and responsibilities as required by international law, or otherwise withdraw the registration of these vessels;
(d) do the extent possible, call upon states and other fishing entities in which owners of vessels of FOC states reside or are incorporated, to repatriate or scrap those vessels in cooperation with the states which exported the fishing vessels;
(e) where deemed appropriate, implementing effective measures such as vessel scrapping programs, to ensure that fishing vessels surplus to their fishing requirements do not become vessels of FOC states;
(f) where possible, refuse port access to vessels of FOC states which have undermined the effectiveness of conservation and management measures adopted by the regional fisheries management organizations;
(g) monitor and discourage commercial activities, including trade and transshipment of catches, by vessels of FOC states.