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Despite the warning from Michael Lodge and colleagues in 20071 featured on the title page, allocation of
internationally shared fish stocks remains a challenge across regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs)
the world over. While RFMOs like the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC), the International Commission for
the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT), and the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC)
are all actively speaking about allocation in the context of socio-economic dependency, it remains an elusive
concept to define, let alone put into practice. Given the importance of allocation to RFMO cooperation and
conservation effectiveness, however, finding ways to agree on an allocation protocol remain paramount.
To that end, the TCAC process, and the G16 sub-group, have been working to define principles and criteria for the
allocation of fishing opportunities in the IOTC. In this document, indicators are explored as potentially of use in
upholding responsibilities outlined in the United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement for special considerations for
developing coastal States. The allocation structure currently contains a portion of the allocation to be directed
towards coastal states (Chair’s proposal, 6.4(2)). As outlined in 6.6 of the Chair’s proposal, one of three elements
here is reserved for the special consideration of developing coastal States. It is proposed here that a suite of
internationally-agreed upon indicators can be used to support allocation implementation in line with this principle.
It is proposed that the indicators used be linked to principles laid out in UNFSA Article 24(2), which states that “in
giving effect to the duty to cooperate in the establishment of conservation and management measures for straddling
fish stocks and highly migratory fish stocks, States shall take into account the special requirements of developing
States, in particular:”
• (2a) vulnerability of developing states which are dependent on the exploitation of living marine resources,
including for meeting the nutritional requirements of their populations or parts thereof;
• (2b) the need to avoid adverse impacts and ensure access to fisheries by subsistence, small-scale and
artisanal fishermen and woman fishworkers, as well as Indigenous people in developing States, particularly
small island developing States;
• (2c) the need to ensure that such measures do not result in transferring, directly or indirectly, a
disproportionate burden of conservation action onto developing States.
As these differentiated responsibilities are accepted under the UNFSA international regime, it is recommended that
they can lay the basis for a legitimate and credible set of indicators in line with principles of equitable allocation
for developing coastal States. Over the past year, G16 members have undertaken a participatory and consensusbased
process through which six indicators have been identified These indicators include per capita fish
consumption and Commonwealth Universal Vulnerability Index (to support 2a), proportion of fishing fleet that is
<24 m and whether a country is a SIDS (to support 2b), contribution of fisheries to national GDP and proportion of
export value made up of fisheries exports (to support 2c). These indicators and the process by which they were
agreed upon are discussed in this information paper.
