The United States is pressing hard for an international moratorium on any expansion of commercial fishing in the Arctic Ocean, which would include parts of Canada, at least until a management system is in place. It is fact that in the Arctic Ocean there is little commercial fishing but shrinking sea ice has meant fish are starting to move into more northern waters off Alaska, bringing fishing vessels northward as well.
Officials at the Canadian Arctic Summit in Edmonton said that there is growing concerns in the U.S. that not enough is known about the Arctic Ocean environment or fish stocks there. Mead Treadwell, chairman of the U.S. Arctic Research Commission, said at the summit that before opening up a fishery in the Arctic Ocean, complete study of the situation is needed. And by the precautionary principle, let’s have a moratorium on fishing.
The fishing moratorium is supported by the commission, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council in Alaska, and both the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives. Canadian wildlife biologist Jacques Sirois told delegates at the summit that the relatively pristine ecosystem of the Arctic Ocean needs protection, as overfishing and illegal fishing are major problems around the world.
It is said that the US is trying to obtain a global agreement to ban the expansion of commercial fishing in the Arctic Ocean, until a proper internation management system is implemented.
