There are substantial obstacles to the
effective implementation of
EAF, as has already been seen in the difficulties
countries have experienced in implementing the requirements of the Code.
Key impediments to EAF include the following:
- a mismatch between
expectations of stakeholders,
including
the general public, and the resources
available for fisheries
management;
- difficulties in
reconciling the competing objectives
of
multiple stakeholders utilizing resources from the
same
ecosystems;
- insufficient or
ineffective stakeholder participation in
the management process;
- insufficient
knowledge of fishing and ecosystem
interactions
and of the response of different ecosystem
components
to specific management actions;
- inadequate capacity
within management agencies
and stakeholder groups to deal with the additional
demands
of EAF;
- insufficient
education and awareness at all levels of
EAF and
the requirements for its implementation;
- difficulties in
resolving issues related to equity;
- the costs and other
problems involved in aligning
ecosystem
boundaries with the existing jurisdictions
of the
management authorities;
- controlling illegal
behaviour by some stakeholders;
- finding means of
adequately compensating those
living
in poverty and dependent on affected fisheries
for any
short- and medium-term negative impacts
on their
fishing activities brought about by the
implementation
of EAF.
