Consultation on international fisheries management

(1) The BHSFU shall consult as appropriate with foreign governments, and in particular with governments of Coastal States having jurisdiction over the waters in which Belize flagged high seas fishing vessels operate with a view to20 (a) ensuring the closest practicable harmonization or coordination of their respective fisheries management and development plans and (b) ensuring harmonization in the collection of statistics, the carrying out of surveys and procedures for assessing the state of the fisheries resources; (c) providing, as appropriate, for the formulation of regional and development plans including monitoring control and surveillance for the allocation of fishing effort and catch among States fishing the same stocks and for taking joint conservation measures; (d) establishing, on a bilateral or regional level as appropriate, arrangements regarding fishing rights with other States in accordance with the provisions of the relevant management and development plan. (2) Consultation under this section may be undertaken either directly with the Governments or persons concerned, or through existing appropriate regional or sub-regional organization or interpersonal agencies.