Managing fishing capacity in tuna regional fisheries management organisations (RFMOs): Development and state of the art

Abstract

Overcapacity is a major threat to the sustainability of tuna resources. Diverse actions are being carried out by tuna RFMOs to counteract this problem. This paper reviews and analyses both the historical development of fishing capacity management in tuna RFMOs and their state of the art practices. Despite the fact, that thus far, management measures have not yielded the expected results for capacity reduction, they provide a good basis for improved management of capacity at regional and global levels. ► This article analyses the approaches developed by the tuna RFMOs to manage fishing capacity. ► The management actions have not effectively controlled fishing capacity expansion. ► Access rights, enforcement and aspirations for development are key issues in capacity management. ► Measures such as freezing, reducing or redistributing the fishing capacity are required. ► Joint RFMO initiatives play a key role in addressing the fishing capacity problem.