Publication - October 22, 2004
Some countries have suggested that action by regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs) would be sufficient to solve the problem of high seas bottom trawling. However, the management of fisheries on the high seas by RFMOs is highly fragmented and inconsistent. Most high seas areas, including all of the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and the majority of the Atlantic Ocean, are not covered by RFMOs with the authority to manage deep sea bottom fisheries. Bottom trawl fishing in these regions is, by definition, unregulated high seas fishing.