Implications for the Caribbean Region of an international agreement on conservation and management of straddling fish stocks and highly migratory fish stocks

The United Nations Conference on Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks was convened in New York in August 1994 to consider a revised negotiating text that sought to implement those articles of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea relating to the conservation and management of these types of fish stocks. This paper discusses the possible implications for coastal states in the wider Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico of the United Nations reaching a consensus to put in place a binding agreement that would seek to ensure long-term conservation and sustainable use of straddling fish stocks and highly migratory fish stocks of particular interest are proposals for adoption of a precautionary approach to management; the compatibility of conservation and management measures and development of mechanisms for international cooperation for adapting management measures; for the harvest of stocks and for enforcement of management measures, rules and regulations.