instruments such as ‘Action Plans’ or memoranda of understanding and their
associated outline strategies.
43
It is to be stressed here that most of these regional arrangements have a central
body comprising of representatives and experts from member States, which serves to
administer the respective instruments in accordance with the objectives and purposes
therein. While UNEP administers some of these regimes, more than half of them are
administered autonomously.
44 Independent from, but routinely operating in partnership with, UNEP are several independent regimes in the Baltic Sea, North-East
Atlantic, Caspian Sea, Antarctic and Arctic. All except the latter have a framework
treaty regime to govern the respective marine areas.
45 As for the Arctic, the eight
Arctic countries adopted the Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy 1991
(AEPS).
Similar to the RSP setting, a commission, conference of parties, or council is
established as the institutional body to implement and govern regime operations, for
instance, the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission (HELCOM), the
OSPAR Commission, the Conference of Parties to the Tehran Convention, the
Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources
(CCAMLR) and its Scientific Committee (SC-CCAMLR), and the Arctic Council.
The FAO has to some extent played a role in the establishment of Regional
Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs), although there exist numerous
examples which have been set up independently. It is through the RFMOs that the
cooperative mechanism for the management of living resources envisaged by
UNCLOS is effected.
46 Through UNCLOS and the UN Fish Stocks Agreement,
member States interested in fisheries within a shared area are obliged to cooperate
through bilateral or regional efforts. For highly migratory species (mostly tuna),
some existing regimes include the International Commission for the Conservation of
Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) and the
Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna (CCSBT).
47 As for
non-tuna stocks, examples of some RFMOs are the North-East Atlantic Fisheries
Convention on the Protection of the Black Sea Against Pollution 1992 (Bucharest Convention), and
the Convention for Cooperation in the Protection and Sustainable Development of the Marine and
Coastal Environment of the North-East Pacific 2002 (Antigua Convention).
43 Such as the East Asian Seas Action Plan (EASAP), Northwest Pacific Action Plan 1994
(NOWPAP), and the South Asian Seas Action Plan 1995 (SASAP).
44 Freestone and Salman (2007), p. 349.
45 Notably, the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea 1992
(Helsinki Convention), the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the NorthEast Atlantic 1992 (OSPAR Convention), the Framework Convention for the Protection of the
Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea 2003 (Tehran Convention), and the Antarctic Treaty
System (comprising of the Antarctic Treaty 1959, the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic
Seals 1972, the Convention for the Conservation of the Antarctic Marine Living Resources 1980,
and the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty 1991).
46 Rayfuse (2015), p. 440.
47 Unterweger (2015).
3 International Organizations and the Protection of the Marine Environment
47
associated outline strategies.
43
It is to be stressed here that most of these regional arrangements have a central
body comprising of representatives and experts from member States, which serves to
administer the respective instruments in accordance with the objectives and purposes
therein. While UNEP administers some of these regimes, more than half of them are
administered autonomously.
44 Independent from, but routinely operating in partnership with, UNEP are several independent regimes in the Baltic Sea, North-East
Atlantic, Caspian Sea, Antarctic and Arctic. All except the latter have a framework
treaty regime to govern the respective marine areas.
45 As for the Arctic, the eight
Arctic countries adopted the Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy 1991
(AEPS).
Similar to the RSP setting, a commission, conference of parties, or council is
established as the institutional body to implement and govern regime operations, for
instance, the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission (HELCOM), the
OSPAR Commission, the Conference of Parties to the Tehran Convention, the
Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources
(CCAMLR) and its Scientific Committee (SC-CCAMLR), and the Arctic Council.
The FAO has to some extent played a role in the establishment of Regional
Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs), although there exist numerous
examples which have been set up independently. It is through the RFMOs that the
cooperative mechanism for the management of living resources envisaged by
UNCLOS is effected.
46 Through UNCLOS and the UN Fish Stocks Agreement,
member States interested in fisheries within a shared area are obliged to cooperate
through bilateral or regional efforts. For highly migratory species (mostly tuna),
some existing regimes include the International Commission for the Conservation of
Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) and the
Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna (CCSBT).
47 As for
non-tuna stocks, examples of some RFMOs are the North-East Atlantic Fisheries
Convention on the Protection of the Black Sea Against Pollution 1992 (Bucharest Convention), and
the Convention for Cooperation in the Protection and Sustainable Development of the Marine and
Coastal Environment of the North-East Pacific 2002 (Antigua Convention).
43 Such as the East Asian Seas Action Plan (EASAP), Northwest Pacific Action Plan 1994
(NOWPAP), and the South Asian Seas Action Plan 1995 (SASAP).
44 Freestone and Salman (2007), p. 349.
45 Notably, the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea 1992
(Helsinki Convention), the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the NorthEast Atlantic 1992 (OSPAR Convention), the Framework Convention for the Protection of the
Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea 2003 (Tehran Convention), and the Antarctic Treaty
System (comprising of the Antarctic Treaty 1959, the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic
Seals 1972, the Convention for the Conservation of the Antarctic Marine Living Resources 1980,
and the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty 1991).
46 Rayfuse (2015), p. 440.
47 Unterweger (2015).
3 International Organizations and the Protection of the Marine Environment
47