Transparency in 21st Century Fisheries Management: Options for Public Participation to Enhance Conservation and Management of International Fish Stocks

This research paper by the Center for International Environmental Law examines mechanisms for public participation and transparency in international fisheries management, specifically focusing on Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs). Using the 'three pillars' of the Rio Declaration and Agenda 21—access to information, access to decision-making, and access to justice—the author analyzes how modern multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) can serve as models for RFMOs to enhance legitimacy, improve decision-making, and ensure accountability.

• The author identifies three essential 'pillars' of public participation for sustainable natural resource management: access to information, access to decision-making, and access to justice.
• Public participation by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) provides four primary benefits to multilateral institutions: it enhances legitimacy and public acceptance, improves decision-making quality by providing technical expertise and diverse perspectives, ensures accountability through public scrutiny, and helps small or less-developed states build their capacity to participate.
• The Convention on the Conservation and Management of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPOFC) and the U.N. Fish Stocks Agreement incorporate Rio Declaration principles, requiring that NGOs have 'timely access to the records and reports' of RFMOs and the opportunity to participate as observers.
• The author contrasts the open approach of Rio-era conventions with the 'closed culture' of the World Trade Organization (WTO), where documents are often only 'de-restricted' six months after publication and can be blocked by any state.
• The Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) is cited as having restrictive participation rules compared to Rio-era MEAs, requiring NGOs to apply 100 days in advance and submit detailed 'input' they plan to present, which the author argues may render materials out of date.
• NGOs can significantly enhance treaty compliance through technical roles, as seen in CITES, where the Trade Records Analysis of Fauna and Flora in Commerce (TRAFFIC) and the Wildlife Trade Monitoring Unit (WTMU) provide monitoring, investigation, and data management services.
• The North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC) allows NGOs and private persons to file 'submissions on enforcement matters' to petition the secretariat when a party fails to effectively enforce environmental laws.
• The author recommends that RFMOs adopt a presumption of open access to all official meetings, including subsidiary bodies and working groups, and utilize dedicated internet websites for the prompt publication of all official documents and working drafts.

APA

Wiser, G. M. (n.d.). Transparency in 21st Century Fisheries Management: Options for Public Participation to Enhance Conservation and Management of International Fish Stocks. Center for International Environmental Law. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/trans21cenfisheries_options.pdf

Chicago

Wiser, Glenn M. Transparency in 21st Century Fisheries Management: Options for Public Participation to Enhance Conservation and Management of International Fish Stocks. Center for International Environmental Law, n.d. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/trans21cenfisheries_options.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Wiser |first1=Glenn M. |title=Transparency in 21st Century Fisheries Management: Options for Public Participation to Enhance Conservation and Management of International Fish Stocks |publisher=Center for International Environmental Law |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/trans21cenfisheries_options.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wiserndtransparency, author = {Wiser, Glenn M.}, title = {{Transparency in 21st Century Fisheries Management: Options for Public Participation to Enhance Conservation and Management of International Fish Stocks}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/trans21cenfisheries_options.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }