Sustainable fisheries management in the face of climate change

Seventeenth round of Informal Consultations of States Parties to the Agreement, United Nations

By Daniela Simon Bernot, TBTI Global

The Seventeenth round of Informal Consultations of States Parties to the Agreement for the Implementation of the Provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (paragraph 72 of resolution 78/68) took place in the United Nations Headquarters in New York City from May 15-17th. The agreement, which concerns the conservation and management of straddling and highly migratory fish stocks, was the focal point of the discussions.

 

This event occurs annually, considering specific issues arising from the Agreement’s implementation to improve understanding, share experiences, and identify best practices. The event was attended by secretariats of organizations, conventions, intergovernmental organizations and bodies from subregional and regional fisheries management organizations, regional intergovernmental marine science organizations, and non-governmental organizations. Scientific institutions, represented by marine scientists, were also invited as delegates or observers.  

Dr. Ratana Chuenpagdee, Director of TBTI Global and the lead of Ocean Frontier Institute Module I, attended the meeting as a panelist, where she delivered a talk titled ‘Impacts of climate change on small-scale fisheries and coastal communities.’ In her talk, she emphasized that “it’s not the scientists who determine what the problems are. It’s the co-identification of the problems that we need to consider” when discussing climate change and small-scale fisheries. She also stressed how transdisciplinary knowledge about the impacts of climate change on small-scale fisheries is important for understanding and solving the issues around this matter.

Several other TBTI colleagues were at the meeting, including Dr. Yinji Li from Tokai University and a TBTI Japan hub coordinator, and Professor Nikita Gabor from the Instituto Publico de Investigación de Acuicultura y Pesca (IPIAP) in Ecuador and a member of TBTI Ecuador who attended the event as delegates representing their respective countries.

The discussion during the meeting revolved around sustainable fisheries management in the face of climate change. Each country and organization provided a written contribution, delivering information particular to each region or case, thereby underlining the global significance of the issue. Some of the key points discussed during the event in New York City were understanding the impacts of climate change on fisheries, an overview of the legal framework for sustainable fisheries management under climate change, sustainable fisheries management under climate change based on case studies, best practices and challenges at the regional and national levels, and lastly the challenges and opportunities for strengthening sustainable fisheries management under climate change scenarios.

The reports from past rounds can be found on the United Nations website, serving as a testament to the ongoing commitment to these critical and urgent issues.  

Ratana Chuenpagdee and Nikita Gaibor

Yinji Li and Nikita Gaibor

All pictures shown here were taken by Yinji Li.