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/71/123
use of modern technologies, such as electronic monitoring, and to provide assistance
to developing States to meet data-collection and reporting obligations;
130. 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 seabird by-catch, and to promote further research on selective fishing
gear and practices and on the use of appropriate by-catch mitigation measures;
131. Encourages States and regional fisheries management organizations and
arrangements to coordinate in the development and implementation of clear and
standardized by-catch data-collection and reporting protocols for non-target species,
in particular endangered, threatened and protected species, taking into account bestpractice advice from appropriate international organizations and arrangements,
including the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the
Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels; 23
132. Encourages States and entities referred to in the Convention and in
article 1, paragraph 2 (b), of the Agreement to give due consideration to participation,
as appropriate, in subregional and regional instruments and organizations with
mandates to conserve non-target species taken incidentally in fishing operations;
133. Encourages States to strengthen, if necessary, the capacity of those
subregional and regional fisheries management organizations and arrangements in
which they participate to ensure the adequate conservation of non-target species
taken incidentally in fishing operations, taking into consideration best practices for
non-target species management, and to expedite their ongoing efforts in this regard;
134. Requests States and regional fisheries management organizations and
arrangements urgently to implement, as appropriate, the measures recommended in
the 2004 Guidelines to Reduce Sea Turtle Mortality in Fishing Operations and the
International Plan of Action for Reducing Incidental Catch of Seabirds in Longline
Fisheries of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in order to
prevent the decline of sea turtles and seabird populations by minimizing by -catch
and increasing post-release survival in their fisheries, including through research
and development of gear and bait alternatives, promoting the use of available
by-catch mitigation technology, and establishing and strengthening data -collection
programmes to obtain standardized information to develop rel iable estimates of the
by-catch of these species;
135. Urges States, individually or through regional fisheries management
organizations and arrangements, to implement the International Guidelines on
Bycatch Management and Reduction of Discards of the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations; 24
136. Requests States and regional fisheries management organizations and
arrangements to continue to take urgent action to reduce the by-catch of seabirds,
including albatrosses and petrels, in fisheries by adopting and implementing
conservation measures consistent with the 2009 best practices technical guidelines
of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to support
implementation of the International Plan of Action for Reducing I ncidental Catch of
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United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 2258, No. 40228.
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, document FIRO/R957 (En), appendix E.