Principles for Fisheries Management in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction

The report argues that the complexity of high seas fisheries makes single-tool solutions ineffective, necessitating a combination of State regulation and economic incentives. It outlines nine principles for creating these 'smart mixes,' emphasizing the need for compatible instruments, targeted interventions, and the empowerment of non-State 'surrogate regulators.' The document supports these principles with case studies, including the Parties to the Nauru Agreement's Vessel Day Scheme and various tuna fishery initiatives in the Caribbean and Southeast Asia.

• Management of ABNJ fisheries is hindered by high levels of complexity and heterogeneity, specifically regarding multiple actors at local, regional, and global levels, the 'Freedom of the Sea' creating common pool resource challenges, and the fact that while rules are set globally, enforcement rests with individual States.
• The report advocates for 'smart instrument mixes'—combining multiple public and private forms of control—because single policy instruments are generally insufficient for the complexities of ABNJ fisheries and global supply chains.
• Incentive-based tools are categorized into 'pull' incentives, which use market-based instruments to shape consumer demand (e.g., MSC certification), and 'push' incentives, which target the production side (e.g., bycatch taxes and rights-based management).
• The document identifies nine principles for smart mixes: ensuring compatible instrument combinations; calibrating for least resistance, lowest cost, and maximum impact; sequencing or scaling interventions; empowering surrogate regulators; maximizing net gain outcomes; harnessing stakeholder responsiveness; considering top-down constraints; adapting the mix based on effectiveness; and assessing opportunities for better interventions.
• Non-State actors, termed 'surrogate regulators' (including NGOs, companies, and consumer groups), can be empowered through delegated legal power or by influencing the regulatory process to enhance the State's regulatory reach.
• The Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) Vessel Day Scheme (VDS) serves as a successful example of an adaptive, sequenced intervention that moved from capping vessel numbers to a transferable effort program, significantly increasing access fees from less than 6% to 14% of landed value.
• In the Eastern Pacific Ocean, the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) has reached the effectiveness limit of traditional measures like closed seasons, suggesting a need for incentive-based alternatives such as individual vessel quotas (IVQ) to address recruitment overfishing of bigeye and yellowfin tuna.
• The report notes that international fisheries law is heavily based on State consent and historical fishing patterns, which can create gridlock in Regional Fishery Management Organizations (RFMOs) and make the redistribution of harvest rights difficult.

APA

Anderson, J., Asche, F., Barnes, R., Bush, S., Gentner, B., Hufflett, C., Libecap, G., Maharaj, V., Nelson, L., Norris, W., Perotti, G., Tietze, U., & Wachowicz, K. (2018). Principles for Fisheries Management in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction. WWF International. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/680/3t3qqft15v_08818_WWF_WB_Report_GloTT_final.pdf

Chicago

Anderson, James, Frank Asche, Richard Barnes, Simon Bush, Brad Gentner, Charles Hufflett, Gary Libecap, et al. Principles for Fisheries Management in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction. WWF International, 2018. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/680/3t3qqft15v_08818_WWF_WB_Report_GloTT_final.pdf.

Wikipedia

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BibTeX

@techreport{anderson2018principles, author = {Anderson, James and Asche, Frank and Barnes, Richard and Bush, Simon and Gentner, Brad and Hufflett, Charles and Libecap, Gary and Maharaj, Vishwanie and Nelson, Lindie and Norris, Wez and Perotti, Giansandro and Tietze, Uwe and Wachowicz, Kelly}, title = {{Principles for Fisheries Management in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction}}, institution = {WWF International}, year = {2018}, month = dec, url = {https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/680/3t3qqft15v_08818_WWF_WB_Report_GloTT_final.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }