Changing fishing practices through laws and regulations

I believe that a healthy marine ecosystem means good fisheries. This is what motivates me – ensuring fisheries sustainability and the livelihoods of small fishers in the Philippines.

Joel Palma, WWF Philippines

There are at least 130 bycatch agreements, regulations, and legislation for reducing bycatch around the world, with approximately 40 having an international scope. These can include regulations on net mesh sizes, fishing areas, rules for discarding fish, requirements for bycatch mitigation measures, recovery plans for specific species, and international standards and best practices for fishing operations.

However, to have any effect these policies need to be implemented and enforced. In many cases, this is not happening.

Such policies need to be continually developed at national, regional, and international levels – by governments, regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs), other fisheries management bodies, and various international fora with an influence on fishing, such as the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Examples of existing international policies on bycatch

I've lived in Atlantic Canada my whole life. It's frustrating to witness the preventable demise of an iconic species like cod and the associated impacts on the fishing communities that once depended on this resource. Reducing bycatch of juvenile cod is the first step in rebuilding healthy cod stocks and moving towards sustainable cod fisheries, which is part of my ultimate vision for the region.

Marty King, Atlantic Director, WWF-Canada

United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement (UNFSA): an international law that makes signatory states responsible for non-target species associated with fisheries and caught as bycatch.
The UN Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), is an inter-governmental treaty concerned with the conservation of wildlife and habitats on a global scale. Regarding bycatch, it requests all parties to protect migratory species against bycatch from fisheries within their territorial waters and Exclusive Econimic Zones (EEZs), and by vessels fishing on the high seas under national flag of the country which registered them.
United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) regarding driftnets and calling for actions to be taken at the policy and technical level to reduce bycatch and fish discards from this indiscriminate fishing method.
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES): This international agreement aims to ensure that trade in wild animals does not threaten their survival. For example, it includes calls to monitor the bycatch of Hawksbill turtles in the Caribbean region.
World Trade Organisation (WTO): This organization can play an important role in bycatch mitigation and has been involved in the issue surrounding the establishment of the mandatory requirement of Turtle Excluder Devices to be fitted into all shrimp trawls that catch and export shrimp to the US market.
International Whaling Commission (IWC) has an agreement to prevent, minimize, mitigate and report the bycatch of cetaceans in fisheries operations.
International Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks (IPOA-Sharks): a plan within the voluntary FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries that aims to ensure the conservation and management of sharks and their long-term sustainable use.
IPOA for Reducing International Catch of Seabirds in Longline Fisheries (IPOA-Seabirds): a similar voluntary FAO plan that aims to reduce the incidental capture of seabirds in longline fisheries where this occurs.