Fisheries look very different across the world, but one thing they have in common is that they are all striving to achieve successes of catch. Here I worked with a classmate of mine to compare a fisheries success story,  one from the global north and another from the global south.

The Global South Fishery I focused on was in the South Pacific Islands which supports the waters of the most valued and exploited tuna stocks in the world. In the the mid 1990s a massive expansion of the international tuna fleets was beginning to peak and these ships took over this area decimating local tuna stocks and not giving the host nations a penny in return. The 8 countries of the Pacific islands however were part of the Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) and in 2011 created the The Vessel Day Scheme which is the success story we will talk about. In very simple terms the VDS limited mainly the effort of purse seine fleets through changing the pre-existing model of payment from a fee relative to the size of their catch, to auctioned off time-slots to fish in these waters. Firstly this shift towards collective bargaining lead to exponential increase in local revenue as demand was so high that it allowed the island nations to set their own prices at higher rates, as well as allowed countries without fish to sell its days to the places where the fish were, evening out the yearly revenues of each state. After the implenton the PNA saw a 1000% increase in revenues in 10 years. The other major success it that it limited by-catch and allowed for some control of tuna conservation. VDS calculates how much tuna fishing is sustainable and then divides that amount up into fishing days for which the fishing companies bid, thus preventing any type of sanctioned siene net overfishing that is destructive for conservation of the by-catch and target species. While the PNA/VDS is not a permanent long term solution to a sustainable tuna fishery.  It was a success in giving the economic security and power to island nation and to bring together a likeminded cohort of countries to form partnerships that are forming the basis of decision making today. Lastly it is an example of internationally respected legislative backbone on the Law of the Sea.

The global south success story my classmate focused on was a lobster fishery in PEI, Canada. Lobster is one of Canada’s most valuable fishery exports, worth 2.2 billion as of 2018 and employs over 5000 people and more than 1200 harvesters in PEI. This fishery in PEI is MSc certified, which is a certification that science-based and acts as official recognition of a fishery that can claim decades of responsible management. It was attained by collaboration between PEI Fishermen’s Association, the PEI Seafood Processors Association, Abegweit First Nation and Lennox Island First Nation, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and the provincial government. Sustainability is ensured in integrated management plans through a variety of mechanisms, including:

• • Carapace Size Limit: lobster carapace shell size is established for each area based on the condition of the fishery.
  • Limited Number of Licenses: the number of licenses is limited, and is determined by the management plan.
  • Seasons: Prince Edward Island lobster fishers fish in either of just two seasons, as opposed to both. The spring season usually runs May 1- June 30 and the fall from about August 9 – October 9.
  • Trap Limits: Each PEI fishing license is limited to 250-300 traps depending on location.
  • Escape Mechanisms: PEI lobster traps are equipped with escape mechanisms that enable undersized lobsters to exit the trap. Biodegradable panels enable trapped lobsters to escape in the event the trap is lost at sea.
  • Females: PEI fishers release female lobsters bearing eggs or of optimum breeding size.
  • Fishing Days: in PEI lobster fishers work just six days per week during the season.
  • Research: PEI fishers actively collaborate with researchers to collect data to better inform sustainability measures for the future

When we compare our fisheries we can first see that the principle accomplishments of each fishery were vastly different. The global south success was more collaboration based and its success came from forming the partnerships of decision making today. On the other hand the global north success was the MSC certification and more long term based, ensuring the responsible management of lobsters. We can also notice that the level of collaboration to achieve success in each story is extremely different. For the global south, success was accomplished through an extremely diverse set of international players. These players come from multiple state forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) which comprised of 17 states to various Scientific Commission and multiple conventions in the United Nations that built the criteria and governance framework. Additionally Non FFA members (including Canada), and participating territories also engaged with the process. On the other hand the global north fishery was accomplished through local collaboration. These players included the PEI Fishermen’s Association, the PEI Seafood Processors Association, Abegweit First Nation and Lennox Island First Nation and the provincial government. One thing we do find in common was that both success stories benefited the local people. The VDS was hugely important for local economies : for example the VDS access fee contribute up to 20-50% of the total income for some islands. The VDS also improved local employment  through local cannery processing plants and provided the opportunity for local fisheries to create sustainable cooperatives within their own nation. Likewise for the global north fishery the fisheries also ensured local benefits in the form of increased employment and sustainable local economies.  Fishers were also able to put a higher price tag on their products because of this certification. The sustainability of the lobster industry in PEI also has improved perceptions of fisheries for food to the general public. Both stories show that no matter how you achieve success wether that be intestinally or locally, through collaboration or enforcement of rules, the results should always bring local benefits to the communities who are working on the ground. 

 

Resources to Further Explore 

[1] Aqorau, T. (2009). Recent developments in Pacific tuna fisheries: the Palau Arrangement and the vessel day scheme. Int’l J. Marine & Coastal L., 24, 557.

[2] Deiye, Margo. (2007).  Making the Vessel Day Scheme Work. The United Nations University, Nauru Fisheries & Marine Resources Authority

[3] Fisheries and Oceans Canada. (2019, March 14). Canada’s sustainable fisheries. Government of Canada. https://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fisheries-peches/sustainable-durable/fisheries-peches/index-eng.html

[4] Fishery certification guide. (n.d.). Marine Stewardship Council. Retrieved March 21, 2022, from https://www.msc.org/for-business/fisheries/fishery-certification-guide

[5] Prince Edward Island Lobster. (n.d.). Lobster PEI. Retrieved March 21, 2022, from https://lobsterpei.ca/