International Coastal Management:
Tools for Successful Regional Partnerships and Initiatives

Marine fisheries are the last remaining example of the industrial hunting of wild animals for food. Fisheries are the principal source of animal protein for millions of people around the world, particularly in developing countries. In addition, an estimated 200 million people worldwide depend on fishing for their livelihoods.

However, the pursuit of food and wealth has led to overfishing, the use of destructive fishing practices, and habitat degradation that has seriously depleted many fisheries. Fish wars-increasingly violent clashes between fishermen and nations-have erupted over what remains. Today, the United Nations estimates that at least 60% of world fisheries are overexploited and in urgent need of effective management.

Despite their diversity and productivity, many fisheries around the world share common problems. Among the most significant of these is ineffective management due to shortage of political will, limited scientific information, outdated or nonexistent laws, want of enforcement, and lack of public concern. Many fisheries are heavily subsidized, and this has led to the growth of enormous fishing fleets with catching power that far exceeds the available supply of fish. To make matters worse, global markets generally do not discriminate in favor of healthy fisheries, and seafood consumers remain largely unaware and unconcerned. Each of these issues must be addressed to reverse the decline of the world’s fisheries and their associated ocean ecosystems.

To solve the problems facing ocean fisheries, we need a combination of sound science, effective laws, and conservation-oriented politics. Scientific information alone is necessary but not sufficient to support conservation. Laws are often lacking and can be applied by both sides in a debate. Owing largely to a general lack of public awareness of the oceans, the fishing and seafood industries-having strong vested interests in the status quo-have traditionally held sway over public policy. As a result, the rate of progress in the public policy arena has been agonizingly slow, and has failed to outpace the depletion of fisheries. Sorely needed reforms have repeatedly fallen prey to the enormous political clout of industry lobbyists and trade associations.

This presentation will examine several prominent ocean conservation issues to see how the interplay between science, law, and politics affected the decision making and outcomes. We will also discuss a new approach to ocean conservation, aimed primarily at directly influencing the fishing and seafood industries. This new effort seeks to build private-sector support for more responsible ocean policy by harnessing market forces and the power of consumer choice in favor of conservation. By changing the economic imperatives and incentives confronting fishermen, processors, and retailers, advocates hope to reduce the opposition to policy reform. The goal is a market for seafood that creates powerful incentives for more effective fisheries management.

University of Mississippi