[Draft] Reducing Bycatch Mk. 2

[Bisofeyr]

The World Assembly,

Recognizing that there exists a present gap in this body's environmental legislation surrounding bycatch, and

Concerned at the harmful impact of bycatch on both consumers and marine wildlife, which extends beyond the scope of GA 199, including the seep into areas such as public health and safety, consumer knowledge, and ensuring that nations maintain knowledge of what their fisheries are catching beyond their intended product, and

Believing that, because overfishing and bycatch does not stay within any specific border, the World Assembly ought to negate these impacts to the best of its ability, hereby:

1. Defines "bycatch" as the unintentional capture of non-target marine creatures during fishing activities aimed at specific target species, that is not followed by the return of the creature to its ecological habitat intact and without being maimed or killed in the process;
2. Mandates that each member nation shall perform impartial research on the various species of marine life and marine ecologies within their jurisdiction, especially as it relates to rates of bycatch and maximum bycatch permissible without causing negative impacts in the areas of environmental stability, public health, and any other relevant aspects;
3. Mandates that each member nation shall institute regulations on the maximum allowable bycatch based on the research outlined in clause two, and ensure that no entity within their jurisdiction shall exceed these regulations;
4. Mandates that packages of processed seafood within member nations have the projected amount of bycatch included in the product as a result of their specific fishing practices and the location in which they fish;
5. Prohibits member-nations or entities therein from engaging in the import or purchase of seafood or other ocean-based products from nations, corporations, or other entities which have not established or do not enforce scientifically-informed bycatch limits, consistent with the mandates surrounding clauses two, three, and four;
6. Mandates that nations release national and local data from within its jurisdiction surrounding bycatch and the rates thereof to the World Assembly Science Programe, who shall then make that information public;
7. Encourages member nations to invest in research into bycatch-prevention devices, gear, and techniques, and to share these technological innovations and information with any member nations which may find a use for them.

Given that Simone submitted a repeal of the extant resolution, I drafted this up in case it passes (which I don't think it should). It fixes the sole issue that the repeal alleges, so this should hopefully satisfy the concerned parties.

[Simone Republic]

The jurisdiction issue was a drafting error but it's not my only complaint. For example, as it stands you're requiring research to be conducted or there's no exports of fish, for example what happens if the nation does not have the technology to do bycatch research? Then no exports again.

[Jutsa]

That would've been a much better argument for repeal, then.

(Though I suppose the WA has always been a bit negligent about nations with low technological/economic capabilities.)

[Bisofeyr]

The jurisdiction issue was a drafting error but it's not my only complaint. For example, as it stands you're requiring research to be conducted or there's no exports of fish, for example what happens if the nation does not have the technology to do bycatch research? Then no exports again.

You're right, I misinterpreted your train of thought in the repeal (I inferred that the clause was saying "WA states that find it hard to perform the 'impartial research' required in clause 2 [because of the 'surrounding' phrase]"). I apologize for that.

That being said, I hardly see how this is an issue worth of mention: if we're going to start culling all resolutions that have an assumption of some sort of semi-modern society, nearly all extant resolutions should be on the chopping block. The threshold for research into bycatch is reasonably low, compared to other technological assumptions of the WA, so I'll keep the clause as-is, which still addresses the larger-scale issue you've brought up.

[Simone Republic]

The jurisdiction issue was a drafting error but it's not my only complaint. For example, as it stands you're requiring research to be conducted or there's no exports of fish, for example what happens if the nation does not have the technology to do bycatch research? Then no exports again.

You're right, I misinterpreted your train of thought in the repeal (I inferred that the clause was saying "WA states that find it hard to perform the 'impartial research' required in clause 2 [because of the 'surrounding' phrase]"). I apologize for that.

That being said, I hardly see how this is an issue worth of mention: if we're going to start culling all resolutions that have an assumption of some sort of semi-modern society, nearly all extant resolutions should be on the chopping block. The threshold for research into bycatch is reasonably low, compared to other technological assumptions of the WA, so I'll keep the clause as-is, which still addresses the larger-scale issue you've brought up.

I would name several IRL countries reliant on fishing, mostly sparsely populated Pacific countries such as Nauru and Kiribati, as counterexamples.

[Tinhampton]

No support. I still do not like the heavy-handed approach of RB (and also prefer Simone's thing, sorry )