Stewards of the Pacific : The Western Pacific Fishery Management Council.

Abstract

A 20 Year Report - Because consumer demand for fish is at an ever increasing rate, there is a need to clarify indigenous rights, maintain balance between conservation and development, and for international agreements to regulate fishing activities throughout the Pacific region. This video is a documentation of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council Meeting with interview excerpts from several of it's members. The Council was the first to ban driftnet fishing in the US Exclusive Economic Zone, and has been able to regulate fishing aided by the "Magnuson Act- Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Decisions are grounded in science and informed by traditional knowledge and cultural practices passed 20 years earlier.