79. For Fisheries Management to be sustainable, it has to be contemplated at the same time as the exploitation and development of a fish stock/resource; it must has to be ‘responsible’. Being responsible implies excluding all destructive practices as defined in the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries. In the context of considering the sustainable development of moored FAD fishing, being ‘responsible’ means avoiding the use of gear that can easily be lost and can continue to fish (for example materials of entanglement, midwater fish traps and seines).
80. The sustainable development concept should take the unpredictability and variability of fish populations into account when designing fisheries management systems. For example the management system for moored FAD fishing should:
include provisions for regular consultations among the parties concerned to promote understanding and full cooperation;
develop mechanisms for resolving conflicts;
promote research to improve fishing gear selectivity and species reaction to gear;
set agreed management objectives and identify related reference points, incorporating the “precautionary approach” and
develop contingency plans for natural and human-induced disasters.
81. Some of the actions that should be contemplated at the outset of the sustainable development of moored FAD fishing for the large pelagic fish species are:
establishing a vessel registration/licensing system;
defining a real-time reporting of data on vessel performance and landings;
making contingency plans for taking corrective actions when set targets are breached (e.g. closures or limited entry) and
defining a plan to optimize social and economic stability, through fair and equitable distribution of benefits.
