Regional Fishery Bodies (RFBs)
Regional Fishery Bodies (RFBs) are a mechanism through which States or organizations that are parties to an international fishery agreement or ("agreement" is fundamental, and different from arrangement) arrangement work together towards the conservation, management and/or development of fisheries. (Some RFBs, especially those with an ecosystem mandate, work with seabirds, etc that are connected with fisheries but are not fish stocks per se.)
The mandates of RFBs vary. Some RFBs have an advisory mandate, and provide advice, decisions or coordinating mechanisms that are not binding on their members. Some RFBs have a management mandate – these are called Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs). They adopt fisheries conservation and management measures that are binding on their members.
The functions of RFBs also vary. They can include the collection, analysis and dissemination of information and data, coordinating fisheries management through joint schemes and mechanisms, serving as a technical and policy forum, and taking decisions relating to the conservation, management, development and responsible use of the resources.
The difference between a "regional fishery body" and a "regional fishery arrangement" is that the former has established a Secretariat that operates under a governing body of member States and the latter does not have.
History of RFBs
In 1948 the Indo-Pacific Fisheries Council, now Asia-Pacific Fishery Commission (APFIC), was set up under the FAO Constitution. Since then, other regional bodies or arrangements were established within and outside the framework of FAO. Currently, there are 44 regional fishery bodies worldwide, 20 of which are RFMO.
Background of RFBs
The primary reason for establishing RFBs is to manage fish stocks throughout their range of distribution, taking into account the need for compatible conservation and management measures in areas within and beyond national jurisdiction.1 RFBs -- including RFMO -- initially dealt with transboundary, straddling, highly- or high seas migratory stocks in their nature. However, the mandate and scope could also be extended according to specific decisions made by the member States of each body.
Flexibility in RFBs structure means that functions also vary. These can range from the collection, analysis and dissemination of information and data, to the coordination of fisheries management through joint schemes and mechanisms, to decision-making related to the conservation, management, development and responsible use of resources.
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1See Article 6.12, FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries