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Abstract:
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"Regional Tuna Fisheries Management Organizations (T-RFMOs) have long been dominated by distant-water fishing interests. The flag States with the broadest geographical spreadwith vessels operating in several oceans tend to have the loudest voices. Coastal States--the countries whose waters are within, or adjacent, to the range of a particular tuna stock--are usually developing countries, and, in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, are often small-island developing countries. As T-RFMO members, they are usually less vocal, have fewer resources for monitoring foreign fisheries, and have fewer scientific services to provide answers to their questions. Traditionally, they have been less effective in the T-RFMO decision-making process. Although it has been difficult for developing coastal States to gain an effective voice in regional tuna management processes, it is precisely these countries that are likely to be most affected by the decisions (or lack of decisions) made by T-RFMOs. These are the countries in whose waters, or adjacent waters, the fish live in and move through, and they are also countries where tuna fisheries can play a large role in national development. For these countries, it is not just a matter of a few distant-water vessel-owning companies being affected by T-RFMO management processes, but entire economies."
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