Sustainable fisheries, including through the 1995 Agreement for the Implementation of the Provisions
of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 10 December 1982 relating to the Conservation
and Management of Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks, and related instruments
A/RES/67/79
States and, as appropriate, subsistence fishing communities, to reduce or eliminate
by-catch, catch by lost or abandoned gear, fish discards and post-harvest losses,
including juvenile fish, consistent with international law and relevant international
instruments, including the Code, and in particular to consider measures including, as
appropriate, technical measures related to fish size, mesh size or gear, discards,
closed seasons and areas and zones reserved for selected fisheries, particularly
artisanal fisheries, the establishment of mechanisms for communicating information
on areas of high concentration of juvenile fish, taking into account the importance
of ensuring the confidentiality of such information, and support for studies and
research that will reduce or eliminate by-catch of juvenile fish, and to ensure that
these measures are implemented so as to optimize their effectiveness;
92. Welcomes the commitment of States in “The future we want” to enhance
action to manage by-catch, discards and other adverse ecosystem impacts from
fisheries, including by eliminating destructive fishing practices, consistent with
international law, the applicable international instruments and relevant General
Assembly resolutions and guidelines of the Food and Agriculture Organization of
the United Nations;
93. Calls upon States, either individually, collectively or through regional
fisheries management organizations and arrangements, to further study, develop and
adopt effective management measures, taking into account the best available
scientific information on fishing methods, including fish aggregating devices, to
minimize by-catch;
94. Also calls upon States, either individually, collectively or through regional
fisheries management organizations and arrangements, to collect the necessary data
in order to evaluate and closely monitor the use of large-scale fish aggregating devices
and other devices, as appropriate, and their effects on tuna resources and tuna
behaviour and associated and dependent species, to improve management
procedures to monitor the number, type and use of such devices and to mitigate
possible negative effects on the ecosystem, including on juveniles and the incidental
by-catch of non-target species, particularly sharks and turtles, and notes in this
regard the measures adopted by different regional fisheries management
organizations and arrangements;
95. Urgently calls upon States, subregional and regional fisheries management
organizations and arrangements and, where appropriate, other relevant international
organizations to develop and implement effective management measures to reduce
the incidence of catch of non-target species, including the utilization of selective
fishing gear, where appropriate;
96. Calls upon States, subregional and regional fisheries management
organizations and arrangements to adopt or improve measures to assess the impact
of their fisheries on species caught as by-catch and to improve the comprehensiveness
and accuracy of information and reporting on incidental catch of species caught as
by-catch, including through adequate observer coverage and the use of modern
technologies, and to provide assistance to developing States to meet data-collection
and reporting obligations;
97. Requests States and regional fisheries management organizations and
arrangements, as appropriate, to strengthen or establish data-collection programmes
to obtain reliable species-specific estimates of shark, marine turtle, fin-fish, marine
mammal and sea bird by-catch, and to promote further research on selective fishing
gear and practices and on the use of appropriate by-catch mitigation measures;
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