Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries

Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries
Name	Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries
Caption	FAO logo and publication cover
Author	Food and Agriculture Organization
Country	Italy
Language	English
Subject	Fisheries management
Published	1995
Media type	Print

Contents

Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries

The Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries is an international instrument developed to guide Food and Agriculture Organization policy on capture fisheries and aquaculture, linking standards across United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, Rio de Janeiro, World Summit on Sustainable Development, and subsequent United Nations processes. It synthesizes principles drawn from multilateral fora including the Convention on Biological Diversity, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and the FAO Committee on Fisheries to harmonize practices among states such as Norway, Japan, Peru, Canada, and Mauritius.

Background and Objectives

The Code emerged after deliberations at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development and was formalized by Food and Agriculture Organization membership to address declines documented in reports by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, World Bank, and regional bodies like the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources and the North Atlantic Fisheries Organization. Its objectives align with commitments from the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Ramsar Convention, and regional compacts such as the European Union Common Fisheries Policy and the Nairobi Convention. The document seeks to reconcile obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the Agreement on Port State Measures with national laws exemplified by statutes in New Zealand, Iceland, and South Africa.

The Code articulates precautionary and ecosystem-based principles referenced by the Oslo-Paris Convention, the Bern Convention, and the Stockholm Convention. It promotes stewardship embraced by institutions including the World Wildlife Fund, Greenpeace, IUCN, and academic centres such as Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Ethical guidance cross-references instruments like the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and labor standards from the International Labour Organization while recognizing indigenous rights as discussed in texts from UNESCO and the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Management prescriptions in the Code intersect with quota systems used by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, vessel licensing regimes practiced by Australia and Chile, and catch documentation schemes similar to those of the European Union and United States. It endorses adaptive management approaches employed by research bodies such as the Pew Charitable Trusts and policy tools developed by the World Resources Institute and the Global Environment Facility. Regional fisheries management organizations like the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission, the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission, and the North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission implement comparable regulatory mechanisms.

The Code encourages selective gear innovations advanced at institutions like Cefas, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea. Technologies promoted range from turtle-excluder devices refined in collaboration with NOAA and Dolphin Safe initiatives to bycatch reduction systems tested by University of British Columbia and University of Washington teams. Case studies involve fleets from Spain, Portugal, Icelandic Fisheries, and artisanal communities in Philippines and Indonesia employing community gear designs supported by FAO technical cooperation.

MCS frameworks prescribed in the Code are reflected in practices by the European Fisheries Control Agency, the Coastal Guard of Japan, and the United States Coast Guard, supplemented by satellite monitoring projects from European Space Agency and NASA. Tools include vessel monitoring systems used by Fisheries and Oceans Canada, electronic catch reporting piloted by Australia and blockchain trials tested by private partners such as IBM and the Global Fishing Watch initiative led by SkyTruth and Oceana. Enforcement examples reference port-state actions in Panama and regional coordination by the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation.

Capacity building provisions align with projects funded by the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and the Inter-American Development Bank and implemented with partners such as Conservation International, Mercy Corps, and national agencies in Bangladesh, Kenya, and Ghana. The Code emphasizes co-management models practiced in Norway, New Zealand, and indigenous arrangements in Canada and Australia, and supports gender equity initiatives echoed by UN Women and social safeguards promoted by the International Finance Corporation.

Implementation relies on multilateral collaboration among actors including Food and Agriculture Organization, United Nations Development Programme, World Bank, European Union, and regional bodies such as the Pacific Islands Forum and the African Union. Compliance mechanisms draw from precedents in the Agreement on Port State Measures, dispute settlement experiences under the World Trade Organization, and transnational prosecutions coordinated with agencies like Interpol and Europol. Ongoing international research partnerships involve the Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research, the Global Ocean Observing System, and university consortia at University of Cape Town and University of the South Pacific to evaluate outcomes and inform negotiations at summits such as the Conference of the Parties to relevant conventions.