The World Assembly,
Pleased with previous resolutions regulating the fishing industry from undue environmental impact, including GA 199 “Sustainable Fishing Act”,
Aware, however, of 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,
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,
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;
Mandates that each member nation shall perform impartial research on the various species of marine life and marine ecologies within and surrounding their jurisdictions, 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;
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;
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;
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;
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;
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.