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Their efforts to preserve the oceans are as follows: the Ministry runs five of the eighteen marine reserves off the coast of Spain, and produces around 300,000 tons in fish (including mollusks, fish, and crustaceans) from aquaculture, most of which is marine based (approx. 10% is land-based) (MAPA, 2002). "As in many other parts of Europe, in Spain, aquaculture and particularly that of salt water species, is nowadays perceived as the only means to preserve the present equilibrium between supply and
demand of fish products for human consumption" (____).
A center run by the MAPA is also tracking approx. 1,700 fishing vessels with portable on board "Blue Box" units. The government also employs GPS to track vessels (MAPA, 2002).
Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentacion. (2002). Fisheries in Spain. Madrid, Spain: Jose Ortega.
Flag Hopping and Fishing Under flags of convenience:
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History of Compliance with International Mandates:
As our plans involve producing behavioral changes on a global scale, the issue of compliance and enforcement are major factors to consider. Throughout history, there have been multiple instances of international mandates imposed upon the entire international community, with varying degrees of success. In each of the two cases, the probable motivating factors and relevance to our solution are considered.
One of the most significant international agreements from the past century is the Geneva Convention , which dictates the rules of war and attempts to bring a little humanity and order into an otherwise chaotic and barbaric means of settling disagreements between nations. This mandate, accepted by virtually all major countries in the world today, bans certain weapons, such as chemical and biological agents, and guarantees basic rights to soldiers in enemy hands. However, despite the wide-spread acceptance of the Geneva Convention, the primary motivating factor appears to be self-preservation; people follow the rules in the hope that should the tides change, their opponents will treat them decently as well. For those with nothing to lose, like terrorists, the Geneva Convention is simply disregarded. The situation with preserving global fisheries does not pose the same imminent alternative of painful death and torture, making it more difficult to ensure compliance.
Another such international mandate is the Kyoto Protocol. Dealing with the carbon emissions of developed nations, this agreement is concerned with staving off the projected disastrous effects of global warming. Each country receives a pre-determined limit on the amount of carbon its factories and industries release into the atmosphere, prompting nations to find more environmentally friendly means of conducting business. Like the case of the ocean's fisheries, the atmosphere is an international resource that is threatened by the actions of every person on Earth, with consequences that can disrupt the livelihood of the entire world. Unfortunately, conforming to the requirements of the Kyoto Protocol is extremely costly; though potentially beneficial in the long term, the immediate costs often deter nations from complying, or even agreeing to the Kyoto Protocol at all. Furthermore, the current punitive measures stated in the agreement have proved to be worthless; nations that exceed their carbon limit are supposed to do better the year after, and the economic sanctions are minor to nonexistent. Aside from being loosely enforced, the punishment itself is counterintuitive. At present, the economic incentives to ignore the Kyoto Protocol have far outweighed the benefits. Saving the Earth sounds lovely, but between the economy and the environment, it appears that most nations will choose financial stability first.
Sources: http://proquest.umi.com.ezproxyberklee.flo.org/pqdweb?did=1307667221&sid=5&Fmt=2&clientId=5482&RQT=309&VName=PQD; http://proquest.umi.com.ezproxyberklee.flo.org/pqdweb?did=801652851&sid=5&Fmt=2&clientId=5482&RQT=309&VName=PQD; http://proquest.umi.com.ezproxyberklee.flo.org/pqdweb?did=784211311&sid=5&Fmt=3&clientId=5482&RQT=309&VName=PQD
Our preliminary ideas for a solution (from the international standpoint):
We propose creating an international body under the UN- possibly affiliated with the FAO (but which could also be autonomous) that would regulate/manage/enforce the following treaty that is designed to meet our goals. This treaty only includes the requests of Team 2 and our team, so please post/email what regulations you would like included (i.e. does Team 3 want something on pollution or environmental considerations?):1. How do we enforce international fishing regulations, including what technology could be used and where technology could be used?
a. We need to achieve near full compliance from most countries and create incentives to deter flag hopping.
i. China, US, EU, Japan, Russia, Canada, Brazil, South Africa, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand and other countries with large fishing demand*
ii. Offer economic incentives from our regulatory body: trade restrictions on fish/fishing technology placed upon non-compliant countries; similar or more stringent rules apply to countries who sign but flag hop
b. How do we achieve near-full compliance?
i. Treaty/mandate/charter
1. Countries are responsible for all ships that are registered under their flag
2. Cannot register with a noncompliant country
3. Limit what technology can be used where
a. Info from Team 2
4. Fishing quotas for international waters/polar regions
a. Info from other teams on quota success
5. Each countries regulates compliance of ships under its flag by use of
a. Tracking devices
b. Regulatory officers
6. Each country responsible for regulating/measuring/tracking the biodiversity and biomass within coastal regions
7. Funds from dues to research biodiversity/biomass in international and the polar regions
a. How do we track this? Team 10
ii. Financial officers provided to each signatory by the regulatory body to help them balance the demands of the treaty without damaging the economy
1. Committee of experts that deals with case by case
c. Create a body: International Regulatory Commission for Sustainable Fishing (IRCSF)
i. Either autonomous, like NATO
ii. Or a part of the UN, like WHO or UNICEF (suggested)
1. Maybe under or affiliated with the FAO