The Evolution of International Fisheries Management in the North Pacific Ocean and Prospects for the Future

The abundant resources of the North Pacific Ocean have been the subject of international disputes and negotiations through the 20th century. The management of species which range throughout this vast area, are not under the jurisdiction of a single state. That fact has required the establishment of a framework in which allocation and conservation measures can be researched and agreed upon. This has been accomplished through various multilateral and bilateral agreements. From the voluntary Japanese suspension of a directed salmon fishery off the coast of Alaska in 1938 to recently completed multilateral treaties, significant advances have been made in Pacific fisheries management. How have the events of the last 60 years influenced current trends in international fisheries treaties? How will the structure of future agreements reflect these emerging trends? This study will describe four periods which have fostered the evolution of fisheries management in the North Pacific. It will examine two treaties which represent this evolution, the 1992 Convention for the Conservation of Anadromous Stocks in the North pacific ocean and the 1994 convention for the Conservation and Management of Pollock Resources in the Central Bering Sea. it will explore the development and implementation of these agreements, as well as their strengths and weaknesses, within the context of domestic pressures and existing norms of international ocean law. it will identify trends in high seas fisheries management, and consider the likelihood of the emergence of a more holistic arrangement for managing the living marine resources of the North Pacific Ocean