Fisheries Impacts on North Atlantic Ecosystems: Evaluations and Policy Exploration
Compliance with International Fisheries Instruments in the North Atlantic
Jackie Alder, Gail Lugten, Robert Kay and Bridget FerrissAbstract
This report provides an assessment of the level of compliance with international fisheries instruments for countries bordering the North Atlantic. Fifteen instruments (conventions, treaties or agreements) were assessed for 17 countries. Overall the level of compliance is moderate to high for most instruments, and for most countries. There tends to be a latitudinal gradient of compliance, with the northern countries scoring higher than those to the south. The study revealed that few regional fishery bodies have a systematic program in place to monitor and assess compliance with their instruments. The most important result of this study, however, is that despite, at least moderate levels of compliance, most of the fisheries that are managed under these instruments are overexploited and at risk of collapse. In some cases, fisheries such as the cod in the western Atlantic are not showing signs of recovery after a 5-year moratorium on commercial fishing.