In Mission, our toughest challenge has been finding a solution to one of the world's greatest problems, the oceans. To address this problem, our solution will be implemented in several mediums aimed at international cooperation.on international, national, non-governmental, and individual levels to comprise one cohesive, over-arching solution.
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- the Marine Protected Areas "ten percent plan," which requires that 10% of the world oceans should be covered with No-Take Marine Reserves within fifteen years
- aquaculture facilities to be encouraged and implemented where possible as determined by the Regional Assessment Councils (to be discussed in latter section)
- agreement of Signatory States to uphold the articles of this Treaty and thereby enforce them within their territorial waters. A signatory State will not allow fishing fleets to register under the State's flag if that same fleet is registered under a non-signatory State's flag that has been found to violate the Law of the Sea, the Agreement on Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks, or this Treaty.
- agreement of Signatory States to stop all import of fish or fishery products that were caught unsustainably as found by this Treaty and the aforementioned UN law
- enforcement regulation of IUU fishing by member States (to be discussed under "Enforcement")
- the reduction of overfishing and transition to sustainable fishing using a system of Total Allowable Catch (TAC) amounts set by and international group of biologists translated into Individual Transferable through a two phased plan for quotas and taxes, which requires first that Individual Transfer Quotas (ITQ) allocated be assigned and assessed by regional councils (to be discussed in later latter sections) with a transition into mostly regional taxes
- the elimination of subsidies used to sponsor increased fishing efforts and the implementation of subsidies used to sponsor new technology that will reduce bycatch
- if and when the Arctic circle melts, concerned States can consider the territorial seas, which follow the mandated 12 nautical miles from the baseline, to be within jurisdiction, but that no EEZ will be established beyond that, such that the remaining area will be considered by a panel for the status of a marine protected area
- more stringent environmental impacts regulations to curb the effects of dumping by cruise ships, airliners, and city waste
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Global
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Taxes as a Long Term Management Strategy
One of the greatest challenges presented by the current plight of worldwide fisheries is that of preventing overfishing. This prevention, if successful, will be the single greatest improvement over the current situation. However, as long as there is demand for fish, there will be motivation to fish and a risk of overfishing. The best possible solution to the problem of overfishing will therefore be the one which has the most probability of limiting catches to the maximum sustainable yield level.
The first step to limiting the catch to a level that is can maintain the maximum sustainable yield is to define maximum sustainable yield, which can be found in our fisheries management section. The next step is to determine numerically what this level must be. Data collected through fish tracking, population surveys, and other methods and technology, some of which are in use today and some of which are new and are suggested in other parts of our report, will be used to estimate the total population and health of the oceanic ecosystems all over the global. The result will be location-specific information about the amount of fish that can be taken from any given area in the world to still maintain a sustainable fishery.
Once it is known at what level each fishery in the world can be fished while not exceeding the maximum sustainable yield (MSY) level, we must ensure that fisheries are only fished up to that level. Quotas have been implemented over the last few decades in an attempt to achieve this goal. These quotas vary in type and specific purpose, but they all aim to set a limit on how much fish can be removed from a given fishery in order to prevent overfishing. Quotas are discussed in detail in other sections of this report, and they are a useful tool that we intend to continue using . in a limited capacity. Yet, a simple quota-based system has failed to deliver the widespread halt in overfishing necessary to save the fish. Therefore, a more comprehensive novel approach, such as one involving Individual Transferable Quotas (ITQs)global taxation, is needed.
We recommend an ITQa tax-based fishery management system endorsed by economist William Wheaton. The quotas tax's basis would be based on scientific knowledge. An international group of biologists would divide the ocean into perhaps twenty or thirty distinct regions. They Then, they would use fish population data to assess the ecological health of fisheries and determine the fisheries' relative risks of being overfished (W. Wheaton, personal communication, November 21, 2007). The biologists would then determine the Total Allowable Catch (TAC) for a specific species in a region, which will be a certain margin below the actual MSY level as an environmental precaution. Next, regional fishery councils would distribute ITQs which sum to the TAC. We recommend that these fishing quotas be auctioned by the regional fishery council; essentially, this would make the buyer pay for the ecological damage resulting from his fishing (W. Wheaton, personal communication, November 21, 2007).findings would be reported to a group of economists who would use this information to set taxes. The tax would be heavier for fish caught in regions and from populations containing depleted stocks and lighter for fish caught in areas where the populations are less at risk of being overfished, i.e. the level of fishing that can happen and still remain below or equal to the maximum sustainable yield is higher.
The goal of the tax is to make is economically unsound for the fishermen to overfish. If a fisherman catches very little fish, he generates very little revenue from selling the fish, but if he catches too many fish, the amount he will be paying in taxes will largely detract from his revenue. There is a point in between the two extremes at which the fishermen will be making the maximum profit after he has paid his taxes, and the biologists and economists determining the tax will make this maximum profit point a number that will ensure the fisheries will be fished at a sustainable rate.
A tax on fishermen will drive up the price of fish for consumers, which will in turn decrease the quantity of fish demanded and thus the number of fish needed to meet this demand. A market-based control on fishing decreases the fisherman's incentive to overfish. The fisherman still has freedom to fish wherever he wants (within other constraints), but the tax will also encourage him to avoid fishing in areas that are in more danger of being overfished.
There have been no prior attempts to levy an international tax to curb environmental damageQuotas will limit supply, driving up the price of fish for consumers; this, in turn, will decrease the fish demand. There have been few, if any, prior attempts to make fishermen pay for the ecological damage they cause by fishing, but we believe that since fish are a common resource that travel between national borders, and fish from one fishery are often sold to consumers all over the world, to avoid a 'Tragedy of the Commons,' such a measure may be necessary.this environmental crisis will require much dedication to international cooperation. Implementation of this tax scheme will begin following years of strict command-and-control management strategies, such as quotas, which will bring the status of many fisheries from "overfished" to "sustainably fished."
Given Due to the metamorphic nature of fisheries and the environment in general, the quotas would level of taxes will need to be adjusted from time to time. Currently, data on fish populations is generally collected and reported every two years, meaning that this team of biologists and economists would reset the quotas tax at least every two years to account for changing conditions, and perhaps more often based on preliminary data, estimates, or sizable environmental changes (such as natural disasters)natural disasters). Alterations to the taxes at intervals would be necessary to keep them relevant and useful, since a permanent and static tax would simply encourage individuals to fish in areas that are lightly taxed, leading to overfishing and populations crashes.
In the case of subsistence fishing and sport fishing, we feel that traditional quotas would be an effective quotas are still a better tool for maintaining a ceiling on the amount of fish caught for this purpose. Oftentimes subsistence fishermen have virtually no choice about the location in which they fish, and they should not be penalized for this. More important is the fact that subsistence fishing is not involved in the global fish market, since it never enters this market in the first place. Therefore a tax that decreases the demand by raising the price is irrelevant. However, subsistence fishing should not be a reason for taking an unreasonable amount of fish, which is why quotas are necessary. For sport fisherman, permits can be issued to effect these quotas.
The TAC for species in specific regions taxes would be set calculated by an international group, reducing political pressure on regional bodies to change quotas. If the ITQs are auctioned, the revenue committee. Only countries that ratify the treaty would collect the tax, eliminating the issue of taxation without representation. The revenue of the tax would then be used to fund other aspects of our plan, such as like encouraging fishermen to switch to more environmentally sound methods of fishing. Countries who have signed the treaty are bound by it to fish sustainably in their own waters, and we believe this method is an effective a tax is just another way for them to meet enforce this requirement. Non-member countries are prohibited from being involved in fish trade with member countries, so fish caught unsustainably in non-member countries will not drop the price of sustainably caught fish in member countriesthey too will be affected by the tax.
In Summary
- All member countries who have ratified our treaty will impose quotas on their fishermenratified our treaty will impose a tax on their fishermen
- This amount of this tax will be region and population specific: higher if fish are caught from populations that are more depleted and lower if fish are from less depleted stocks
- The tax The TAC will be determined by an international group of biologists using and economists who will have access to global data collected through the most advanced and accurate methods possibleThe TAC for a specific species in a given region will be set by an international group of biologists, but ITQs will be set by regional fishery councils
- The revenue from the auctions tax will go to efforts to convert fishermen to more environmentally friendly methods, developing better data collection technologies, and generally funding other parts of the process to save the ocean.
The quotas tax we are proposing would significantly contribute to solving overfishing. The auction process tax is designed to be not only a revenue-generating device, but also a mechanism that makes fishermen pay for paying the environmental cost associated with taking a fish out of the ocean.
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One of the most essential challenges facing developing states is the transition from a fish-dominated economy and diet to a less fish-dependent one. After all, for many of these developing states, the cheapest way to acquire protein and generate income is to fish their oceans - fish is free, regenerates without human effort, and comes at no cost to the harvester (no farming, plowing, or planning required). Thus, developing states often do not have incentives or reasons of why they should alter their economy. This is where assistance from developed states should come in.unmigrated-wiki-markup
Under Part XII, Section 3, Articles 202 and 203 require that "States shall, directly or through competent international organizations \ [which could include the RFB councils we have recommended\]: promote programmes of scientific, educational, technical and other assistance to developing States for the protection and preservation of the marine environment and the prevention, reduction and control of marine pollution. Such assistance shall include... training of their scientific and technical personnel; facilitating their participation in relevant international programmes; supplying them with necessary equipment and facilities; enhancing their capacity to manufacture such equipment; advice on and developing facilities for research, monitoring, educational and other programmes... \ [States shall also give developing nations preferential treatment for\] the allocation of appropriate funds and technical assistance; and the utilization of their specialized services" (Division, 1984). Therefore, it is reasonable to enhance the system in which developed nations provide incentives for developing states to shift to more environmentally-sound aquaculture practices and fishing methods. In particular, financial assistance, technical education, and sharing of mutual scientific research are especially called for. The visit of scientific experts qualified in the areas of environmental conservation to developing countries should be sponsored. Moreover, joint ventures between the developing and the developed nations with the aim of creating mutual benefit through environmental conservation and deterring IUU fishing (for example: creating marine reserves or assisting with marine tourism in the target country) should be encouraged as a method of cooperation (Agenda 21). Also, developing nations and developed nations may work together in marine research, with developing nations supplying the labor and local knowledge of conducting the scientific experiments and the developed nations providing the experts in guiding and designing the experiments. Eventually, the technology can also shift over so that local experts will be trained and the developing nations will be able to generate research capabilities on their own. This creates revenue and promotes environmentalism amongst the bloc of developing nations. Mission hopes to encourage more collaboration between the developed and the developing worlds in order to stabilize marine ecosystems and eventually global fisheries. This collaboration can be nurtured through communication between the regional councils and continued interaction in the UN.
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