Northwest atlantic fisheries arrangements: A test of the species approach

Abstract

The United States government has advanced a proposal for a “species”; approach to the resolution of problems in the management and distribution of living marine resources. Under this approach, the management and distribution of the stocks of coastal species of fish would be handled by negotiation among interested parties on a stock‐by‐stock basis, with certain preferential rights accorded to the coastal state. This approach is now being tested in the developments taking place in the arrangements for the Northwest Atlantic fisheries. Here, IS nations agreed to divide up among themselves the annual yields of 14 separate stocks of fish. In addition, it has now been proposed that there be a limit on the total amount of fishing effort and a division of the total among states. The controls are based solely on the physical attributes of fishing and fail to take account of economic consequences. Because of this, questions can be raised about the viability of the arrangements and of the “species”; approach to the international law of fisheries.