Development of National Quotas by the International Commission for the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries

• Published in: Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada
• Main Authors: Edelman, M. S., Dokuchaev, I. I.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Canadian Science Publishing 1973
• Subjects: General Medicine; Northwest Atlantic
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/f73-378; http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/f73-378

The Northwest Atlantic Ocean is one of the areas where fish stocks have been subjected to exceedingly high fishing pressure by many European and American countries, to the extent that some of them require strict control. International cooperation has been achieved through the International Commission for the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries (ICNAF). The Commission has applied conservation measures following scientific advice from various panels and committees, and stands as the first example of the application of national quotas for major exploited species.By 1967, increases in total catches in the ICNAF Area were accompanied by decreases in the catch per unit of effort, and it became apparent that regulations on mesh size were not sufficient to maintain the stocks. The Standing Committee on Regulatory Measures was created to consider alternative regulations, and the economic and administrative problems connected with them. A Committee on Research and Statistics was charged with preparation of scientific data on status of the stocks and measures necessary to maintain and restore them.As early as 1968, proposals were made to establish total catch quotas for principal species and to allocate these among the countries fishing. Adoption of this kind of regulation involved amendments to the Convention, and decisions were therefore difficult to achieve without a long and detailed study.At the 1969 meeting, many stocks had declined further and stricter quotas were applied. The Commission recommended changes in the Convention to allow regulations to be made on economic and technical as well as on scientific data; this was the first step on the way to fixing national quotas. The Standing Committee on Regulatory Measures recommended overall quotas for the principal species and that these quotas be shared among participating nations, taking into account interests of states with developing fisheries, states whose fleets are incapable of being diverted to other fisheries, special interests of coastal states, and historical ...