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More efficient fisheries management
Overcapacity, overfishing and poor financial rewards are just some of the problems faced by fisheries management the world over. Efficient fisheries management, especially the financial aspects, was the theme of an international conference in Iceland, 27-28 August.
Many of the delegates stressed that the so-called 'rights-based fisheries management schemes' improve the economic outlook for the industry and enhance fish stocks. Rights-based management revolves around individual rights, e.g. catch quotas and licenses, being assigned to fishermen, companies and other stakeholders. Combined with the option of selling on rights, such schemes have proven to have a positive impact on, for example, over-sized fishing fleets.
According to the experts, however, rights-based management also faces significant challenges – social, regional and climate changes should always be taken into account when devising new management strategies. Many delegates also stressed the importance of the owner of resources, in most cases the State, receiving a share of the value generated by the industry.
The objective of the conference "Efficient Common Fisheries Management" was to discuss different schemes in different countries and examine the methods that work and those that are less successful. The international conference attracted delegates from all over the world, including the Nordic countries, Canada, New Zealand and the United States.
Fisheries management is a topical issue at the moment on both Nordic and European levels because the EU is in the process of revising its Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). The current CFP has major shortcomings, while the Nordic countries' fisheries systems are considered to be among the best in the world. The Nordic Council of Ministers intends to exert a positive influence on the revision of the CFP by presenting Nordic solutions as input into the process.
The conference was organised by the Institute of Economic Studies at the University of Iceland in conjunction with the Icelandic Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture and the Nordic Council of Ministers. Iceland holds the Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers 2009.
