Law Commons^™

Brief 8: International Fisheries Governance That Works: The Case For A Global Fisheries Organization, J. Samuel Barkin, Elizabeth R. Desombre

Governance and Sustainability Issue Brief Series

International fisheries are being overexploited, and the current institutional structure in place to manage them is not working effectively. Presently, two sets of intergovernmental institutions oversee global fishing. The first comprises roughly three dozen regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs), approximately 19 of which are charged with regulating fishing in the areas they oversee. The second set consists of global organizations that touch on but do not directly regulate fisheries issues, such as the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Trade Organization (WTO), the World Bank, and the International Maritime Organization (IMO). This management patchwork is inadequate to …

Massachusetts Agricultural Mediation Program, Courtney Breese, Massachusetts Office Of Public Collaboration, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

The Massachusetts Agricultural Mediation Program is administered by the Massachusetts Office of Public Collaboration (MOPC) at UMass Boston and certified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to provide mediation services to the farm community in Massachusetts. Through the Program, MOPC provides mediation services to farmers, their creditors, and the USDA, as well as conducts training and outreach to build the capacity of producer organizations and state and local officials to address conflicts.

A Programmatic Audit Of The Massachusetts Vitamin Litigation Project Final Report, Colleen Manning, Tatjana Meschede, Elaine Werby

Center for Social Policy Publications

The Massachusetts Vitamin Litigation Project resulted in the 2002 partial settlement of a class action lawsuit brought by the law firm of Ellis and Rapacki on behalf of residents of the Commonwealth who purchased indirect vitamin products1 during the period from 1990 through 1999. In return for the release of claims, the defendants (a group of pharmaceutical manufacturers) agreed to pay a settlement amount of more than $19 million to be allocated to charitable organizations providing food and nutrition programs in Massachusetts. An additional $2.5 million in settlement funds was subsequently approved.

A total of 572 grants ranging from $1,000 …

Ocean Zoning For The Gulf Of Maine: A Background Paper, Fara Courtney, Jack Wiggin

Urban Harbors Institute Publications

Coastal and ocean management is a constantly evolving practice. For at least two decades, coastal communities around the world have been experimenting with new ways to control a multitude of activities in their urban and rural harbors. The number and diversity of Marine Protected Areas are growing, with an increasing focus on protecting integrated biological communities, rather than individual species of concern. The United States and Canada are each developing new, comprehensive ocean polices, looking to better integrate management functions at all levels of government.

All of these initiatives – from local to national - reflect some common truths about …