Reducing Illegal Fishing in the Southern Ocean: A Global Effort

• Main Authors: Osterblom, H, Bodin, O, Rashid Sumaila, U, Press, AJ
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: Solutions 2015
• Subjects: Environmental Sciences; Environmental Science and Management; Conservation and Biodiversity; Southern Ocean; Patagonian Toothfish
• Online Access: http://ecite.utas.edu.au/99120

Illegal, unregulated, and unreported (IUU) fishing is a key barrier for fisheries sustainability and an issue challenging fisheries managers worldwide. However, there are some innovative examples of how institutions have developed solutions to this problem. This article describes how the international community, including governments, the fishing industry, and environmental nongovernmental organizations has been able to address the critical challenge of IUU fishing of Patagonian toothfish, or Chilean Sea Bass, in the Southern Ocean. In the 1990s, IUU fishing threatened to deplete toothfish stocks as well as substantially reduce the number of endangered albatross caught on baited hooks intended to catch toothfish. Data from interviews, surveys, literature reviews, and official data on estimated levels of IUU fishing illustrates how solutions to these issues were directly dependent on in-depth collaboration between diverse stakeholders. We illustrate the long process of defining and refining solutions to IUU fishing and show that there is substantial potential for other institutions managing fisheries to learn from the experiences in the Southern Ocean.