Common management of fish resources in the Mediterranean

Abstract

In 1967 the Maltese Ambassador to the United Nations, Dr. Arvid Pardo, started an attempt to bring the resources of the sea under international collective control. Discussions on how to manage these resources are still going on, although a number of nations have thought it fit to extend their national rights in order to reap more of the benefits which the sea offers. This has even happened in the case of fish resources. However a global agreement on the management of fisheries is not likely to produce any solutions to the problem of Mediterranean fisheries. Therefore something more specific for this region has to be sought. The Mediterranean offers, however, several problems, mainly because it it not a coherent region at all. It is beset with various sorts of contrasts of social structure, religion, economic development, and political ideologies. Even within groups who share common interests one finds contrasts and conflicts.