Summary: | Climate change has opened up the possibility of new fisheries in Arctic waters. There are governance gaps in existing international and regional instruments as they apply to Arctic waters. Existing regimes might be adapted or a new Arctic RFMO created to manage new Arctic fisheries. Whichever approach is favoured by States it will need to address the same general issues facing current fisheries management, such as excess fishing capacity and IUU fishing. It will also need to accommodate the particularly nature of Arctic ecosystems and special interests afforded to indigenous peoples, as well as other activities such as shipping, tourism and mineral exploitation. Any new regime must be capable of adapting to continued change and take a strong precautionary approach.
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