1998 Year of the Ocean Ocean Living Resources 



Box 3 (continued) 



The 1 994 Agreement to Promote Compliance with International 

 Conservation and Management Measures by Fishing Vessels on the 

 High Seas requires flag states to strictly regulate the activities of their 

 high seas fishing vessels. 



The 1995 UN FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, is a 

 nonbinding document that details the full range of principles that 

 undergird sustainable (responsible) fisheries management. 

 Subsequently, NMFS produced a plan in 1997 to implement these 

 principles in domestic fisheries. 



The United Nations adopted a global moratorium on the use of large- 

 scale pelagic driftnets on the high seas which took effect in 1992. The 

 United States has played a lead role in the detection, apprehension, and 

 prosecution of fishing vessels violating the UN moratorium on large- 

 scale pelagic driftnets. 



The United States is participating more actively in various regional 

 management bodies, particularly those dealing with North Atlantic and 

 North Pacific issues, and is a strong supporter of a recently initiated 

 effort to launch a new management organization for the tuna fisheries 

 of the Western Pacific. 



The United States is also promoting international efforts to reduce 

 fishery impacts on dolphins, sea turtles, sharks, and seabirds. 



Finally, the United States is supporting initiatives designed to enhance 

 conservation and improve the sustainability of fisheries through a 

 number of international organizations and agreements, including FAO, 

 the UN Commission for Sustainable Development, the World Trade 

 Organization, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and 

 Development, Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation, the Convention on 

 International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, 

 and the Convention on Biological Diversity.^ 



^Note; The United States has signed but not yet ratified the Convention on Biological Diversity 



C-27 



