Potential Allocation Models in the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission

Abstract

"The implementation of Convention on the Conservation and Management of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean provides all stakeholders an opportunity to implement a comprehensive management regime that incorporates all tuna stocks and all fishing activity using ecological sustainable development principles and best practice fisheries management.

"The central problem facing the signatories to the Convention is typical of those facing common-pool resource (CPR) users everywhere: how are the tuna resources to be shared amongst stakeholders, how much tuna should be harvested, where should it be harvested and who should be allowed to harvest it? Arguably, the international dimension of the Convention complicates the problem because of the significantly greater diversity amongst stakeholders in terms of size, power and resources available for negotiation, interests and aspirations each hold in the stocks.

"This paper argues that addressing the CPR management needs is best achieved by drawing on lessons from the incentive based fisheries management literature and developing management frameworks centered around the explicit and transparent allocation of tuna resources under the rules of the Convention. In this paper 3 such approaches to allocation are presented and the equity and technical features of each are discussed."