Ocean Diplomacy: The Pacific Island Countries\u27 Campaign to the UN for an Ocean Sustainable Development Goal

In this article we examine how Pacific Island Countries (pics) successfully championed a stand-alone Ocean Sustainable Development Goal (sdg) goal at the United Nations (un). We analyse how the un Post-2015 development process provided pics with a unique opportunity to use their experience with collective diplomacy and regional oceans governance to propose this international goal. In this article we establish how pics\u27 national and regional quest to strengthen their sovereign rights over marine resources motivated their diplomatic efforts for an Ocean sdg. The campaign was a significant political achievement, positioning these Large Ocean Island States (lois) as global ocean guardians. We critically evaluate the effectiveness of the pics\u27 diplomatic campaign to secure an international commitment for an Ocean sdg. The pics\u27 advocacy for Goal 14 under Agenda 2030 has enhanced their political effectiveness in the un by improving their recognition by other States as leaders in oceans governance. We suggest their Ocean sdg campaign forms part of a distinct and continuing brand of oceans diplomacy from Oceania

If we want to keep tuna, the world needs to learn how to share

Amid growing demand for seafood, gas and other resources drawn from the world’s oceans, and growing stresses from climate change, we examine some of the challenges and solutions for developing “the blue economy” in smarter, more sustainable ways

Sustainable shopping: how to buy tuna without biting a chunk out of the oceans

Shopping can be confusing at the best of times, and trying to find environmentally friendly options makes it even more difficult. Welcome to our Sustainable Shopping series, in which we ask experts to provide easy eco-friendly guides to purchases big and small

Chinese fishing boats took half a billion dollars of illegal squid from North Korea. Scientists used satellites to catch them out

A dark fleet of hundreds of Chinese fishing vessels has illegally caught more than half a billion dollars worth of squid in North Korean waters since 2017, according to new research that used satellite technology, on-water observations and machine learning to track the unreported vessels. The illegal catch may have driven small North Korean fishing boats into dangerous waters and contributed to the sharp decline of the Japanese flying squid

Moving beyond rights-based management: a transparent approach to distributing the conservation burden and benefit in tuna fisheries

Determining the distribution of the conservation burden and benefit is a critical challenge to the conservation and management of trans-boundary fish stocks. Given current levels of overfishing and overcapacity in many trans-boundary fisheries, some or all participating States must necessarily reach a compromise with regard to their interests and carry some share of the conservation burden. This article proposes a new approach to distributing the conservation burden and benefit in trans-boundary fisheries, and explores this approach in the world\u27s largest tuna fishery: the tropical tuna fisheries of the western and central Pacific. Such an approach would enable Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs) to transparently ensure that conservation burden and benefit distributions are consistent with international obligations. The article recommends that RFMOs consider developing decision-making frameworks that would enable existing scientific processes to determine the necessary extent of conservation measures, while a new conservation burden methodology would then determine the implementation of the measure and its impact on each member

How blockchain is strengthening tuna traceability to combat illegal fishing

In a significant development for global fisheries, blockchain technology is now being used to improve tuna traceability to help stop illegal and unsustainable fishing practices in the Pacific Islands tuna industry

Transparency in fisheries conservation and management measures

The adoption of effective fisheries conservation and management measures (\u27CMM\u27) represents a critical stage in the process of sustainably managing global fishing stocks. It represents the point at which scientific data is integrated with law and policy considerations to generate concrete rules designed to constrain the behaviour of fishers and other stakeholders in order to promote desired conservation goals within a fishery. This paper will examine the fisheries CMM process within the broader framework of international law and policy for marine resource governance. It will consider transparency aspects at key stages of the CMM process including the gathering and sharing of data upon which measures are based, the tabling and negotiation of new measures in RFMO meetings, through to the monitoring and enforcement of CMM to ensure their implementation. At each stage, the paper will seek to explore the potential for transparency initiatives to improve the effectiveness of fisheries CMM in promoting desired conservation and management goals within a fishery

Large scale marine protected areas: current status and consideration of socio-economic dimensions

Global targets for Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) have evolved in response to rising global concerns about the health of the world\u27s oceans and numerous scientific studies demonstrating the benefits of MPAs as a conservation tool. Our research paper analyses the research needs required to address stakeholder and government concerns from both developed and developing State viewpoints, and build a greater understanding of the benefits and impacts of Marine Protected Areas for the marine ecosystem and the stakeholders that depend on it. In order to satisfy these research needs, and achieve global conservation targets, it is necessary to significantly increase science funding, engage institutional support from key governments, researchers and stakeholders, and build scientific capacity at the regional and domestic level. While the conservation targets are global, their implementation is largely domestic. Governments must make decisions based on the best available science. This science has far more impact on governments and stakeholders if it is \u27owned\u27 by local and regional scientists and institutions, and presented in a manner that is socially and culturally appropriate. This science must answer local and regional priorities - not just address global conservation targets

Exclusive economic zones and Pacific developing island states - who really gets all the fish?

The establishment of exclusive economic zones (EEZs), through the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (LOSC), changed the allocation of fishing rights. These zones allocated all fishing rights within 200 nautical miles of land to neighbouring coastal States. This change dramatically increased sovereign rights for Pacific small island States. In many cases, these States, with limited terrestrial resources, were allocated large resource rich EEZs that had previously been dominated by distant water fishing States. Distant water fishing States, concerned that they would lose access to 85-90% of the world\u27s active fishing grounds, argued that the LOSC should impose obligations to ensure optimum utilisation of fisheries. Consequently, the LOSC required coastal States that were incapable of optimally utilising their EEZ to give other states access to any surplus through agreements or other arrangements. This study analyses fisheries catch data from the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO) to determine the impact of EEZs on fishing activities within the WCPO. The study reports on the degree to which EEZs have transferred effort, catch and benefit from traditional distant water fishing states to Pacific island coastal States. The study reports on the differing interpretations, and the complications that have subsequently arisen, of coastal State jurisdiction and its obligations to ensure optimum utilisation. The study demonstrates that EEZs, despite allocating fishing rights to Pacific island coastal States, have changed little in real terms and distant water fishing States continue to reap the largest benefit from resources within these EEZs