Case Studies in Fisheries Conservation and Management: Applied Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

Case 29: Can We Make Overfishing Less Prevalent around the World?

doi: https://doi.org/10.47886/9781934874189.ch29

The Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (FAO 1995) is a voluntary international consensus regarding the most important efforts needed to control overfishing, developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. The Code outlines detailed standards for the scientific, sustainable, responsible and equitable exploitation of fishery resources. Measuring against the criteria in the Code, a recent evaluation by Pitcher et al. (2009) found that only a few nations receive ‘barely passing’ scores for their efforts to sustainably manage fisheries under their jurisdiction, and most nations get ‘failing’ scores.

Review the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, and the analysis by Pitcher et al. (2009). Consider the questions on the next page.