(Discussion) Illegal Whaling & Fishing Act

Greetings!

The Republic of Corinthos would like to present the issue of illegal whaling and fishing, and overfishing aswell. As we all know, this is a great danger to the environment, because currently, international waters, being neutral areas, are not protected by any international law. Therefore even if some nations have passed national laws that prevent illegal fishing and whaling, it will not be enough, until it's accepted on an international level.

Therefore we propose:

A. International Whaling & Fishing Convention
The International Whaling & Fishing Convention (IWFC) would be established to oversee the management of the whaling and fishing industry worldwide, in response to the rapid decline in the population of whales from whaling, and the environmental impact of overfishing.

B. Net Regulations
Driftnets and gillnets kill thousands of whales each year, therefore we propose establishing an international ban on driftnet fishing. As for gillnet regulations, we propose to make it unlawful for any person fishing with a gillnet to leave it unattended for more than two hours.

C. Pollution
Whale and fish populations are dying as a result of pollution of the oceans. Therefore we propose that it would become illegal for any nation to dump their waste in the oceans or seas in any form.

D. Ship Collisions with Whales
Collisions with ships are a major source of injury and death for many whales. Therefore we proposed to implement a mandatory ship reporting systems. When ships enter specific whale habitats, they must report to a shore-based station. The ships then receive a message about ship striking of whales, measures they can take to avoid ship strikes, and locations of recent sightings.

E. Overfishing
Overfishing of certain areas and/or species negatively effects the environment aswell, and can even lead to extinction of species. Therefore, the International Whaling & Fishing Convention (IWFC) would, according to research and observation of certain areas and species, regulate the fishing industry in certain regions in which overfishing can pose a danger. The IWFC would release information about the areas yearly, categorising seas and species according to the Conservation Status.

Atrijan wrote:This seems like a great bill. There's just one problem: enforcement. The only thing on here that you could properly enforce would be the tracking of ships in refuges. Honestly, this wouldn't change much, as whalers are dug pretty deep in black markets already, regardless of the legality of the whaling.

Also, I don't know if I'm allowed to put my two cents in, but...

UnitedStatesOfScouting wrote:The only problem I see with this is we do not have any kind of listed penalty.

Discussion extended for three days.

UK of Ireland and Italy wrote:how would you close a business? having the regional government potentially violating a nation's sovereignty by doing that couldn't end well.

Corinthos wrote:

UK of Ireland and Italy wrote:how would you close a business? having the regional government potentially violating a nation's sovereignty by doing that couldn't end well.

"I believe that the respective governments should decide about the penalties of breaking this rule."

As I've said before, the national governments should decide about what kind of penalty there is. I've merely put suggestions for that, the penalties by the national governments, there.

UnitedStatesOfScouting wrote:

Corinthos wrote:

UK of Ireland and Italy wrote:how would you close a business? having the regional government potentially violating a nation's sovereignty by doing that couldn't end well.

"I believe that the respective governments should decide about the penalties of breaking this rule."

As I've said before, the national governments should decide about what kind of penalty there is. I've merely put suggestions for that, the penalties by the national governments, there.

With this theory in place, governments who disagree with the law could issue a $1 fine and fulfill the requirements.

Corinthos wrote:

UnitedStatesOfScouting wrote:

Corinthos wrote:

UK of Ireland and Italy wrote:how would you close a business? having the regional government potentially violating a nation's sovereignty by doing that couldn't end well.

"I believe that the respective governments should decide about the penalties of breaking this rule."

As I've said before, the national governments should decide about what kind of penalty there is. I've merely put suggestions for that, the penalties by the national governments, there.

With this theory in place, governments who disagree with the law could issue a $1 fine and fulfill the requirements.

Do you have a suggestion then, how to avoid the Scylla and Charybdis of "this is against national sovereignty" and "law without consequences"?