VOLUME 4:3 (2001)
Reykjavik Declaration on Responsible Fisheries in the Marine Ecosystem
October 18, 2001
Having met at the Reykjavik Conference on Responsible Fisheries in the
Marine Ecosystem from 1 to 4 October 2001,
Appreciating the initiative taken by the Government of Iceland and the
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to organize the
Conference with the co-sponsorship of the Government of Norway,
Recalling that this initiative was endorsed at the Twenty-fourth Session
of the FAO Committee on Fisheries (26 February - 2 March 2001) and at the One
Hundred and Twentieth Session of the FAO Council (June 2001),
Reaffirming that the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the
Sea (the Convention) sets out the rights and duties of States with respect to
the use and conservation of the ocean and its resources, including the conservation
and management of living marine resources,
Recalling that in recent years the world community has agreed on several
additional legal and political commitments that supplement the provisions of
the Convention, including the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development
and Agenda 21 (Chapter 17),
Reaffirming the principles of the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible
Fisheries,
Recalling further the four International Plans of Action formulated in
accordance with the Code of Conduct, namely for the Management of Fishing Capacity,
for the Conservation and Management of Sharks, for Reducing Incidental Catch
of Seabirds in Longline Fisheries, and to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal,
Unreported and Unregulated Fishing,
Reaffirming that the FAO Council during its One Hundred and Twentieth
Session recommended that ecosystem-based fisheries management studies to be
conducted by FAO as agreed in paragraph 39 of the Report at the Twenty-fourth
Session of the FAO Committee on Fisheries should be balanced and holistic in
approach,
Welcoming and taking into account the discussion in the scientific symposium
of the Conference,
Recognising that sustainable fisheries management incorporating ecosystem
considerations entails taking into account the impacts of fisheries on the marine
ecosystem and the impacts of the marine ecosystem on fisheries,
Confirming that the objective of including ecosystem considerations in
fisheries management is to contribute to long-term food security and to human
development and to assure the effective conservation and sustainable use of
the ecosystem and its resources,
Appreciating that the Conference represented an important opportunity
for all fisheries stakeholders to jointly assess the means for including ecosystem
considerations in fisheries management,
Aware that the sustainable use of living marine resources contributes
substantially to human food security, as well as dietary variety, provides for
the livelihood of millions of people and is a central pillar of many national
economies, especially low-income food-deficit countries and small island developing
States,
Recognising the complex inter-relationship between fisheries and other
components of the marine ecosystems,
Convinced that including ecosystem considerations in fisheries management
provides a framework within which States and fisheries management organizations
would enhance management performance,
Affirming that incorporation of ecosystem considerations implies more
effective conservation of the ecosystem and sustainable use and an increased
attention to interactions, such as predator-prey relationships, among different
stocks and species of living marine resources; furthermore that it entails an
understanding of the impact of human activities on the ecosystem, including
the possible structural distortions they can cause in the ecosystem,
Recognising the need to strengthen and sustain management capacity, including
scientific, legal and institutional frameworks with the aim of incorporating
among other things ecosystem considerations,
Emphasising that the scientific basis for including ecosystem considerations
in fisheries management needs further development and that there is incomplete
scientific knowledge about the structure, functioning, components and properties
of the ecosystem as well as about the ecological impact of fishing,
Recognising that certain non-fishery activities have an impact on the
marine ecosystem and have consequences for management. These include land-based
and sea-based activities which affect habitat, water quality, fisheries productivity,
and food quality and safety,
Recognising also that the majority of developing countries face major
challenges in incorporating ecosystem considerations into fisheries management
and that international cooperation and support are necessary,
Declare that, in an effort to reinforce responsible and sustainable fisheries
in the marine ecosystem, we will individually and collectively work on incorporating
ecosystem considerations into that management to that aim.
Towards this end, we further declare:
1. Our determination to continue effective implementation of the FAO Code of
Conduct, which is our common and agreed guide in strengthening and building
fisheries management systems, as well as the International Plans of Action as
formulated in accordance with the Code, and the Kyoto Declaration on the Contribution
of Fisheries to Food Security.
2. There is a clear need to introduce immediately effective management plans
with incentives that encourage responsible fisheries and sustainable use of
marine ecosystems, including mechanisms for reducing excessive fishing efforts
to sustainable levels.
3. It is important to strengthen, improve, and where appropriate establish,
regional and international fisheries management organizations and incorporate
in their work ecosystem considerations and improve cooperation between those
bodies and regional bodies in charge of managing and conserving the marine environment.
4. Prevention of adverse effects of non-fisheries activities on the marine ecosystems
and fisheries requires action by relevant authorities and other stakeholders.
5. While it is necessary to take immediate action to address particularly urgent
problems on the basis of the precautionary approach, it is important to advance
the scientific basis for incorporating ecosystem considerations, building on
existing and future available scientific knowledge. Towards this end we will
undertake to:
(a) advance the scientific basis for developing and implementing management
strategies that incorporate ecosystem considerations and which will ensure sustainable
yields while conserving stocks and maintaining the integrity of ecosystems and
habitats on which they depend;
(b) identify and describe the structure, components and functioning of relevant
marine ecosystems, diet composition and food webs, species interactions and
predator-prey relationships, the role of habitat and the biological, physical
and oceanographic factors affecting ecosystem stability and resilience;
(c) build or enhance systematic monitoring of natural variability and its relations
to ecosystem productivity;
(d) improve the monitoring of by-catch and discards in all fisheries to obtain
better knowledge of the amount of fish actually taken;
(e) support research and technology developments of fishing gear and practices
to improve gear selectivity and reduce adverse impacts of fishing practices
on habitat and biological diversity;
(f) assess adverse human impacts of non-fisheries activities on the marine environment
as well as the consequences of these impacts for sustainable use.
6. The interaction between aquaculture development in the marine environment
and capture fisheries should be monitored through relevant institutional and
regulatory arrangements.
7. Our determination to strengthen international cooperation with the aim of
supporting developing countries in incorporating ecosystem considerations into
fisheries management, in particular in building their expertise through education
and training for collecting and processing the biological, oceanographic, ecological
and fisheries data needed for designing, implementing and upgrading management
strategies.
8. We resolve to improve the enabling environment by encouraging technology
transfer contributing to sustainable management where appropriate, introducing
sound regulatory frameworks, examining and where necessary removing trade distortions,
and promoting transparency.
9. We urge relevant technical and financial international organisations and
the FAO to cooperate in providing States with access to technical advice and
information about effective management regimes and about the experience from
such arrangements, and other support, devoting special attention to developing
countries.
10. We would encourage FAO to work with scientific and technical experts from
all different regions to develop technical guidelines for best practices with
regard to introducing ecosystem considerations into fisheries management. These
technical guidelines should be presented at the next session of the FAO Committee
on Fisheries.
AND REQUEST that the Government of Iceland convey this Declaration
to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the Director-General of the
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the Chairman of the
World Summit on Sustainable Development to be held in Johannesburg in September
2002 and relevant fisheries management organizations for their consideration.