From Hook to Plate: The State of Marine Fisheries
A Commonwealth Perspective
Edited by Richard Bourne ,  Mark Collins
Paper: 978 0 903850 37 7
Price: $26.95  

Publisher: Commonwealth Secretariat
January 2010 , 256 pp., 6 3/4" x 10"
This book draws together the views of 24 contributors from across the Commonwealth on the state of marine capture fisheries. They confirm the assessments of both the World Bank and the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation that world fisheries are in very poor biological and economic health. They explain why fisheries are unsustainable and wasteful, and are unlikely to be able to meet the needs of the future without radical change. At greatest risk are the livelihoods of those who depend upon fisheries for their daily food and subsistence. Their vulnerability is increased and resilience further reduced by the threat of climate change.

Marine capture fisheries are not delivering what society needs and the authors collectively assert and establish that the greatest barriers are in the deficiencies of current fisheries governance and management arrangements. What is needed is a fresh approach to policy and legal frameworks and the political will to effect real change. The authors and editors call on the Commonwealth of Nations, with its depth of experience and breadth of co-operative ability, to take a fresh look at the issue and lead the process of change.

Table of Contents:
Messages of support for Commonwealth Action on Marine Fisheries
• Hon. Dr Abraham Iyambo, Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Namibia
• Hon. Exechiel Joseph, Minister for Agriculture, Lands, Fisheries, and Forestry, St Lucia
• Hon. Huw Irranca-Davies, Minister for Marine and Natural Environment, UK
Executive Summary
List of Acronyms
1) Introduction—Richard Bourne and Mark Collins
2) Establishing the Context for Enhanced Commonwealth Support of Small Fisheries—Nicholas Watts and Richard Bourne
3) WTO Negotiations on Fisheries Subsidies: A Critical Issue for Commonwealth Countries—Anja Von Moltke
4) The Law of the Sea: A Commonwealth Perspective—Richard Barnes
5) Will You Be Eating Illegal Fish for Dinner Tonight?—Sandy Davies and Per Erik Bergh
6) Regional Fisheries Organisations and Sustainable Fisheries in the Caribbean—Milton O Haughton
7) Development in Co-operative Approaches to Fisheries Management in the Pacific Islands Region—Quentin Hanich and Martin Tsamenyi
8) Kawanatanga: Fisheries Governance in New Zealand—Tom McClurg and Michael Arbuckle
9) Enough to Eat? Fisheries and Food Security—Tim Bostock and Suzanne Walmsley
10) Fisheries Supply Chain Issues for Developing Countries—Charlotte Tindall
11) Customary Law and Inshore Fisheries in Pacific Island States—Yoli Tom’tavala
12) Impact of Climate Change on Marine Fisheries in the Commonwealth Caribbean—Arthur C. Potts and Judy Rocke
13) Marine Protected Areas as a Strategy for Sustainability—Marta Lang and Rowan Trebilco
14) Vulnerability and Sustainability of Fish Stocks Worldwide: With Emphasis on Fish Stocks within the Commonwealth—Rashid Sumaila and William W. L. Cheung
15) Reversing Perverse Incentives: The Case for a Rights-based Strategy—G.T. (Stan) Crothers and James Wilen
16) Marine Capture Fisheries in Crisis: A Commonwealth Call to Action—Richard Bourne and Mark Collins
Information about Editors and Contributors
Index