Nationalist MP Francis Agius recently presented a report entitled "Preservation and management of fish stocks" to a session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe calling on member states to ratify international agreements and implement practices for responsible and sustainable fisheries and to develop international co-operation to preserve our seas.
Dr Agius, one of Malta`s representatives at the Council of Europe within the Group of the European People`s Party, has been chairman of the CoE Assembly`s Committee on the Environment and Agriculture within the Parliamentary Assembly for two and a half years.
The report, initiated by Professor Fernando Gonzalez Laxe of the University of La Coruña and continued by Dr Agius 18 months ago after the Spanish Socialists lost several seats in the CoE, was presented to the committee several times for discussion. The report will now be discussed at a plenary session in Strasbourg for wider input before it becomes an official CoE document.
The CoE is primarily concerned with the Black Sea, the Mediterranean, the Baltic Sea and the Northern Atlantic.
The 29-page report, one of two on fisheries presented at the session, highlights several serious issues that need to be addressed to preserve life within our seas.
Intensive fishing efforts, the potential for exploitation of fish stocks at its limit, dwindling fish resources and several endangered species have set alarm bells ringing within an industry that provides the livelihood of 30 million people. Socio-economic changes and technological progress are increasing competition and the future of the fisheries sector is becoming more uncertain. Fish represents 17 per cent of human consumption of proteins.
The report recommends reducing catches, limiting fish zones and periods, tightening technical rules relating to vessels and methods, avoiding by-catches and discards, developing aquaculture, increasing checks and penalties, and promoting the training and retraining of fishermen.
Presenting the report, Dr Agius told the session the whole issue had biological, institutional and economic dimensions.
He pointed out that the levels of exploitation of fisheries have so far been based on methods of resource regulation and management, themselves largely based on the parameters of biological analysis.
It was important, he said, to ensure that the exploitation system did not damage the stock`s ability to recover. The regulation system itself can ensure sufficient annual inputs of biomass for the equilibrium to be maintained at ideal levels.
The fisheries industry is a traditional profession which once believed the sea belonged to everyone. The first and second United Nations Conferences on the Law of the Sea paved the way for the establishment of 12 to 24-mile limits for territorial seas and the definition of contiguous zones. Malta`s first representative at the UN, Dr Arvid Pardo, was instrumental in drawing up the Law of the Sea in 1967, and it is considered an initiative by a Maltese delegation in international fora. It has been ratified by 30 CoE member states.
The third UN conference legally recognised other developments like the establishment of exclusive economic zones, the designation of marine areas to guarantee resources` conservation, and the possibility of promoting ideal use of resources.
Institutionally, the history of fishing indicates two trends - the dynamics of congestion in the exploitation of resources owing to the size of fishing zones, ease of access and the widening of catch areas; and the dynamics created by the processes of specialisation, not only in terms of production but also in geographical and territorial terms.
Fishing fleets have specialised in target species and operate in specific areas to which they have access. Technical changes in vessels, product preparation and storage will lead to the development of a highly specialised fleet tailored to particular fisheries. Changes may also be seen in the new organisational forms taken by firms as they extend their operations and capital interests.
Regulation
Without regulation, a fish stock grows until it reaches saturation point, where vegetative growth is zero. Its biomass (weight of the entire stock) is therefore stabilised.
The aim is to achieve sustainable catches - biological equilibrium - the Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) will be defined by the maximum catch based on the maximum net surplus generated by the stock which can be maintained independently without affecting the stock`s viability.
According to the report, Dr Agius explains, the solutions lie in two areas: the allocation de jure of operational ownership rights to companies or management units, and the setting of limits on resource extraction, whether directly or indirectly, in the search for an ideal solution.
Direct regulation methods are the most common and are concerned mostly with the setting of quotas. These revolve around Total Admissi-ble Catches (TAC), the quantity which can and must be caught to ensure that the optimum size of fish populations and the optimum value corresponding to the single owner solution does not endanger the fishery.
There are six main new developments in fisheries. The population density in coastal areas is growing - some two-thirds of the world`s population live within 60 km of the sea. In 30 years, the figure will probably be 75 per cent, around 6.4 billion people.
Malta is a total coastal area and three-quarters of the UK is defined as a coastal area. Traditionally, populations living in coastal areas have more interest in the sea and more marine activity is generated, putting more pressure on the ecosystem and resources.
Since 80 per cent of the sea`s biological resources are concentrated on the continental shelf (the area immediately adjacent to the shoreline), there is a tendency to extend special powers over the water adjacent to the exclusive economic zones of coastal states.
This implies new territorialisation processes that will lead to fresh processes of dependence on external resources and new levels of vulnerability for certain fleets.
Protein consumption is expected to double by 2025 as a result of globalisation, compared with 20th century levels, according to the OECD publication The Future of Food. Most will occur in developing countries.
The workforce in some countries` fleets are expected to decrease, partly because of new land-based job opportunities and partly because of a loss of interest in fishing as a vocation, which could undermine the seafaring culture.
It will also become increasingly difficult for countries to conclude fishing agreements in the face of obstruction from inhabitants of coastal regions and private agents.
The rapidly increasing contribution by aquaculture to world fishery products supply has two major implications on fisheries development - its continued dependence on the fisheries sector for its supply of fish; and its impact on the fisheries sector such as on wild salmon fisheries and more recently on the fisheries of large pelagic migratory species, like bluefin tunas which are increasingly being sought for penning in large offshore cages.
Sustainable development
Sustainable development is one target in fisheries management.
The long-term sustainability of the whole ecosystem related to the fishing activity and the effect on the welfare of those involved in fishery activities and of society in general need to be studied.
According to the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, an exclusive economic zone is an area stretching 200 nautical miles out to sea where coastal states have sovereign rights for exploring and exploiting, conserving and managing natural resources. Coastal states also have jurisdiction over that area.
This exclusive economic zone practically covers the whole of the continental shelf, where most fish stocks are found.
Under the terms of the Convention, each coastal state is required to determine its catch capacity in its exclusive economic zone, so that the conditions under which other states should have access to excess stocks can be worked out.
In practice, Dr Agius explains, authorities are trying to curb overfishing, especially where endangered species are concerned, and trying to keep a balance. Unregulated methods of fishing also need to be curbed.
The key is responsible fisheries - A Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, issued by the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation) in 1995 and regularly updated is widely circulated and voluntary adherence is recommended by international bodies.
The FAO is also responsible for the Agreement to Promote Compliance with International Conservation and Management Measures by Fishing Vessels on the High Seas of 1993.