Marine Species on the Move in the Northwest Atlantic: A Sea of Governance Challenges
David L. VanderZwaag (1) Katja Fennel (2)
(1) Canada Research Chair in Ocean Law and Governance, Marine & Environmental Law Institute, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada
(2) Canada Research Chair in Marine Prediction, Oceanography Department, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada
This presentation will highlight how bilateral and regional fisheries management arrangements in the Northwest Atlantic have been addressing (or not) the shifts of marine species in the wake of changing ocean conditions. Canada-U.S. approaches to the management of transboundary species will first be described with a focus on shared groundfish stocks on Georges Bank where the countries have indirectly dealt with shifting ecosystems through an agreed resource allocation formula that ensures 90% of quota shares are based on geographical distribution.
How regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs) in the region have responded to changes in the marine environment and species distributions will next be reviewed. Those RFMOs include the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO), the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization (NASCO), and the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT). The challenges raised for ICCAT in managing Atlantic blue fin tuna that have recently moved into waters off Eastern Greenland will be especially emphasized.