Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs)
Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs) are responsible for managing fish stocks on the high seas and fish stocks which migrate through the waters of more than just a single State.
RFMOs also have a duty to conserve all species associated or affected by their fisheries, including seabirds, turtles, dolphins, sharks and non-target fish. These responsibilities have been outlined in new international agreements governing the oceans, such as FAO’s Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, and the United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement, both of which were established in 1995.
RFMOs have a key role to play in the conservation of marine species, especially for wide-ranging species such as albatrosses, where effective mitigation depends on collaboration between States. RFMOs are the organisations which are best able to create this collaboration.
BirdLife has conducted an evaluation of the performance of RFMOs based on their performance in fulfilling the duties outlined in FAO’s Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, and the United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement. The evaluation included assessment of RFMOs in terms of participation and transparency, target fish management, measures to combat IUU fishing, and measures to reduce bycatch of dolphins, turtles, sharks and other fish, as well as RFMO performance in data–collection and mitigation measures for albatrosses and other seabirds. This report will be available in Autumn 2004.
Figure 1. Map showing the areas covered by the 13 RFMOs whose areas overlap with albatross distribution (not all of the RFMOs indicated are currently active).