The Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations has released a paper reviewing the current management of tuna fisheries, proposing a rights-based management of tuna fisheries.
The paper discusses the status of the stocks of major species of tuna and according to the recommendations of the scientific bodies of the regional fisheries management organisations (RFMO), 14 of the major market species are in need of management action.
The use of rights-based management systems is raised in the recommendations to address shortcomings in the current conservation and management of tuna fisheries. The elimination of the need to compete for a share of the available catch allows individuals to optimise their investment in fishing effort to match their share of the catch, providing them with the incentive to avoid overcapacity.
According to the paper, secure, exclusive and long-term rights provide fishers with a collective interest in the conservation of the fisheries and the efficient use of the resources. Transferability of rights allows fishing opportunities to be used by those fishers who produce the greatest economic benefits and can provide a means of reaching an agreement among different sectors of the industry via a transfer of fishing rights.
