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Figure 1. Taken from Grinning Planet.
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\[LINK TO LONG TERM REGULATION\]
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A combination of new technologies makes selectivity and habitat conservation possible, but conversion to these new methods will be costly and difficult. To ease the transition to more expensive equipment, we propose that subsidies be redirected to support sustainable fishing. The technologies themselves include digital imaging for catch specificity, line tension sensors to indicate net content, and electronic ticklers with depth sensors for trawl nets. These and other steps will allow fishermen, even in large-scale industrial fishing operations, to catch fish of proper size and species without damaging the ocean environment. A shift of the magnitude necessary to restore global fisheries will take time and commitment from across the world. Proper regulations from supportive governments can encourage the shift to sustainable technologies and unify the fishing community worldwide.
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General Goals
General goals of the plan include decreasing the harmful effects of fishing technology on the environment and increasing size and species selectivity of fishing gear in order to drastically reduce bycatch. Technological improvements are really only short-term solutions to global fishery problems. Long-term solutions will come from intelligent regulations and worldwide cooperation to use our resources wisely.
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Local fishermen and small fishing companies would get relatively larger subsidies for equipment conversion than large companies would. Large fishing companies wouuld receive a smaller subsidy based on a sliding scale. This is because major corporations would find it easier and have more capital available to convert to new technology than small fishermen would. However, due to this same capital, large fishing fleets might in fact be less likely to make the switch, so we propose that they also receive a tax break.
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Regulation
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Regulations are necessary to manage ocean fisheries in the long-term. Ideally, regulations would be active before fish are caught rather than after. For example, regulations should specify net drag speed and net mesh size rather than simply setting quotas, which can encourage fishermen to throw over-quota fish away. Regulation would be most effective if the two are combined.
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For mobile gear, the speed at which nets can be dragged should be regulated so as to maximize the benefits of the increased mesh size. At high speeds, fish that would normally be able to escape from the netting are trapped by larger fish that pressed against the end of the net. Setting a mandatory minimum mesh size would also decrease the bycatch, although more research is needed to determine the appropriate minimum sizes for the various species being fished.
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GPS
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Tracking
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One of the main issues regarding any laws or regulations governing fisheries is enforcement. Requiring all fishing vessels to have a GPS tracking device on board will make the regulation of fishermen and fishing companies much simpler and more effective. A tracking device will give off a signal that can be recorded by satellites, so the exact position of the fishing vessel can be monitored by regulatory bodies. It will allow regulators to know which fleets are in the water and whether or not they are within legal boundaries at any given time, thus ensuring that marine protected areas and other closed areas are not being fished. Speeds of less than three knots usually indicate that the vessel is fishing, and patterns in global positioning data can also help managers determine what type of fishing strategy the vessel is using (Marshall et al, 1998).
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One issue that may arise is the possibility of tampering with data and cheating the system. The easiest way to do this would be to block the antennae to the GPS or disconnecting the power supply, but analysis of the GPS data would show the ship's absence, and regulators would be able to investigate the vessel's whereabouts. Several kits designed to tamper with the electronics within the system and falsify GPS data had been manufactured and sold in Korea, so Thrane & Thrane reinvented its products so that the GPS unit was more completely integrated with the communications unit, making it much harder to manipulate (Navig s.a.r.l, 2005).
Nations are beginning to realize the benefits of such a system and have already taken steps towards implementing it. The United States and the United Kingdom both have some form of GPS tracking system used for the regulation of their waters. In 2000, the UK required a GPS system in every fishing vessel over 24 meters (AST, 2004). Three years ago British regulators decided that fishing vessels 15 meters and longer would be required to have a GPS vessel monitoring system (VMS) installed, and signed a contract purchasing 750 VMS devices for fishing vessels. The devices are designed to be tamper proof in order to guarantee the accuracy of the information. The equipment provides the monitoring agency with the vessel's speed, direction, position, course and destination, allowing easy and successful regulation enforcement in British waters.
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NOAA Fisheries Northeast Regional Offices (2007). Vessel Management System Regulations. Retrieved November 20, 2007, from http://www.nero.noaa.gov/nero/fishermen/multispecies/gom/VMSRegs.htm
United States Department of Commerce. (2006). Vessel Monitoring System Instructions. Retrieved November 20, 2007, from http://www.nero.noaa.gov/nero/nr/nrdoc/nrphlo6/06vms_user_instructions1.pdf
Staff Writers. (2007). Northrop Grummen to compete for U.S. Coast Guard Nationwide Automatic Identification System. Retrieved November 20, 2007, from http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Northrop_Grumman_To_Compete_For_US_Coast_Guard_Nationwide_Automatic_Identification_System_999.html
Marshall, P. (1998). Fishing operations. 1. Vessel monitoring systems. Retrieved November 22, 2007, from http://www.fao.org/docrep/003/w9633e/w9633e00.HTM
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Joint Report of the Study Group on Unaccounted Fishing Mortality (SGUFM) and the Workshop on Unaccounted Fishing Mortality (WKUFM) (2005, September 25). Retrieved November 21, 2007, from http://www.ices.dk/reports/FTC/2005/SGUFM05.pdfunmigrated-wiki-markup
Jones, J. B. (1992). Environmental impact of trawling on the seabed: a review \ [12DOT000S2FA07:Electronic version\]. New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research, _26_, 59 \ -67.
Fishery and Aquaculture Country Profile: China (n.d.). Retrieved November 21, 2007, from http://www.fao.org/fi/website/FIRetrieveAction.do?dom=countrysector&xml=FI-CP_CN.xml&lang=en
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