A/RES/72/72
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
precautionary approach and incorporating an ecosystem approach to fisheries
management and biodiversity considerations, including the conservation and
management of ecologically related and dependent species and protection of their
habitats, where these aspects are lacking, to ensure that they effectively contribute to
long-term conservation and management and sustainable use of living marine
resources, and welcomes those regional fisheries management organizations and
arrangements that have taken steps in this direction;
154. Calls upon regional fisheries management organizations with the
competence to conserve and manage highly migratory fish stocks that have not yet
adopted effective conservation and management measures in line with the best
scientific information available to conserve and manage stocks falling under their
mandate to do so urgently;
155. Urges States to strengthen and enhance cooperation among existing and
developing regional fisheries management organizations and arrangements in which
they participate, including increased communication and further coordination of
measures, such as through the holding of joint consultations, and to strengthen
integration, coordination and cooperation by such regional fisheries management
organizations and arrangements with other relevant fisheries organizations, regional
seas arrangements and other relevant international organizations;
156. Urges the five regional fisheries management organizations with
competence to manage highly migratory species to continue to take measures to
implement the Course of Actions adopted at the second joint meeting of tuna regional
fisheries management organizations and arrangements and to consider the
recommendations of the third joint meeting of tuna regional fisheries manage ment
organizations and arrangements;
157. Invites States and regional fisheries management organizations and
arrangements with competence to manage straddling fish stocks to share experiences
and good practices, for example by considering organizing joint meetings, where
appropriate;
158. Invites States and regional fisheries management organizations and
arrangements with competence to manage deep-sea fisheries to share experiences and
good practices, for example by considering organizing joint meetings, where
appropriate;
159. Urges regional fisheries management organizations and arrangements to
improve transparency and to ensure that their decision-making processes are fair and
transparent and facilitate the adoption of conservation and management measu res in
a timely and effective manner, including considering provisions for effective voting
and objection procedures where appropriate, to rely on the best scientific information
available, incorporate the precautionary approach and ecosystem approaches, a nd
address participatory rights, including through, inter alia, the development of
transparent criteria for allocating fishing opportunities which reflects, where
appropriate, the relevant provisions of the Agreement, taking due account, inter alia,
of the status of the relevant stocks and the respective interests in the fishery;
160. Welcomes the fact that a number of regional fisheries management
organizations and arrangements have completed performance reviews, and
encourages the implementation, as appropriate, of the recommendations of their
respective reviews as a matter of priority;
161. Urges States, through their participation in regional fisheries management
organizations and arrangements that have not done so, to undertake, on an urgent
basis, performance reviews of those regional fisheries management organizations and
arrangements, initiated either by the organization or arrangement itself or with
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