Role of International Organizations
18. FAO should adopt an International Plan of Action (IPOA) to reduce the by-catch of cetaceans in fisheries, similar to the IPOA-Seabirds. FAO should support individual States in the implementation of their IPOA-Cetaceans through specific, in-country technical assistance. FAO should consider the potential impacts of by-catches of cetaceans, and other non-target species, when formulating technical fisheries assistance to states in the developing world.
19. The Scientific Committee of the IWC should continue to assess the effect of incidental and directed catches on cetacean populations and review progress in the development of mitigation measures designed to reduce by-catches.
20. The Cetacean Specialist Group of the IUCN should continue to identify and highlight specific problems of incidental catches of cetaceans that threaten populations and species and to recommend research and mitigation activities to address these problems.
21. CMS should continue to encourage States to enter into regional agreements that, in part, address the issue of cetacean incidental mortality in commercial fisheries, such as ASCOBANS and the Agreement for the Conservation of Cetaceans in the Black and Mediterranean Seas (ACCOBAMS).
22. International financial institutions (such as the World Bank and IMF) or development agencies (such as the UNDP, and aid agencies from developed nations) should take into account the potential negative impacts of their activities on marine mammals, or participate with their projects in the search for solutions, especially when they involve transfers of technology, or creation of alternatives for fishers.
