Team Six Meeting to discuss more solutions. 8 p.m., Barker Library

meeting

Solutions in policy form:

--education: must clearly define the problem and explain why people (especially specific groups of people) should care. This needs to appeal to individuals; i.e. only if you can convince individuals of the need for change will they act as a group.

--labelling: if it comes from a sustainable fishery, it prominently states the fact (like dolphin-safe tuna). There is a system already, but its a really small percentage of the market, so expanding this market would be important. Europe might be a good market.

--emphasize health risks of fish in order to reduce demand.

--sometimes distant water fleets don't comply with their homeland's regulations, so maybe if you comply with your home region's rules, you get a licensing discount.

--regulate fish as they leave the boats (make sure all quotas and limits have been followed. Inspectors would be waiting at the docks.

--There can't be any punishment for bycatch, because fisherman would just throw it overboard to avoid the consequences. So fishermen could still sell fish the exceed the quota, but a portion of the profits of would go to funding fisherman representation (e.g. lobbying groups, etc.)

--UN EP already exists, so the regulation should probably come from there, not a new body altogether.

--To prevent extensive flag hopping, you could have a license, or if you're fishing in a different country (under their flag), you get taxed for coming home.

--an EEZ buffer zone

--seasonal quotas

--licensing fees determined by technology what type of technology used, so more damaging technology requires a larger licensing fee.

pre-meeting

solutions already proposed
*gps tracking
*fish tax (should we put a fish tax on farmed fish too?)
*eliminate subsidies
*fish can only be imported/exported; outlaw Distant Water Fleets entirely
*sell bycatch instead of throwing it out, but fishermen don't get profits

other potential solutions
*ecolabeling
*licensing who gets to fish in your waters

things we should discuss
*if we're going to create an international governing body, how is this going to fit in with all the pre-existing regional fisheries commissions
*stuff like "reduce your subsidies" and "implement excise taxes" are so far only recommendations, which the UN has a list of already (Common Law, etc.) but, as we know, very few nations implement. what are some economic incentives and methods we could use to get people to comply?
*should we be promoting individual fishermen and small fleet operators and try to bring down the big fishing corporations that could potentially have a monopoly over the industry?
*should we keep the Days at Sea program?

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