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illegal fisheries

According to Global Fishing Watch more than 26 million tonnes, equivalent to about U$23 billion worth of seafood, is stolen from the seas annually through illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

IUUWatch, a coalition of five NGOs (the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF), Oceana, The Nature Conservancy, The PEW Charitable Trusts and WWF) working together to promote EU leadership in improving global fisheries transparency and governance to end illegal fishing, define IUU fishing as follows:

Illegal fishing refers to activities:

  • conducted by national or foreign vessels in waters under the jurisdiction of a State, without the permission of that State, or in contravention of its laws and regulations;

  • conducted by vessels flying the flag of States that are parties to a relevant regional fisheries management organization but operate in contravention of the conservation and management measures adopted by that organization and by which the States are bound, or relevant provisions of the applicable international law; or

  • in violation of national laws or international obligations, including those undertaken by cooperating States to a relevant regional fisheries management organization.

Unreported fishing refers to fishing activities:

  • which have not been reported, or have been misreported, to the relevant national authority, in contravention of national laws and regulations; or

  • undertaken in the area of competence of a relevant regional fisheries management organization which have not been reported or have been misreported, in contravention of the reporting procedures of that organization.

Unregulated fishing refers to fishing activities:

  • in the area of application of a relevant regional fisheries management organization that are conducted by vessels without nationality, or by those flying the flag of a State not party to that organization, or by a fishing entity, in a manner that is not consistent with or contravenes the conservation and management measures of that organization; or

  • in areas or for fish stocks in relation to which there are no applicable conservation or management measures and where such fishing activities are conducted in a manner inconsistent with State responsibilities for the conservation of living marine resources under international law.

The fight against IUU fisheries is multi-faceted, involving vessel registration and tracking systems, port facilities and checks on labour and vessel conditions, all of which need to be implemented at the three levels of flag, port and coastal State. Recognizing that IUU fisheries is often connected with sub-standard vessels and onboard working conditions, the FAO is working closely with the International Maritime Organization and the International Labour Organization, in particular through three agreements:

  • FAO Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA), in force since 2016, which helps governments strengthen their port controls to better recognize suspicious catch and, when appropriate, reject or seize it. The PSMA facilitates regional cooperation among parties to the treaty to help reduce the once-common practice of “port shopping” by illegal fishing operators. Parties are required to designate specific ports for use by foreign vessels, which must request permission to enter ports and provide local authorities with information on the fish they have on board and allow inspections of their log books, fishing gear, cargo and licences. Countries can deny entry or inspect vessels that are suspected of involvement in IUU fishing and refuse to provide services (such as refuelling, landing, packaging, processing, resupplying, maintenance, dry docking, providing personnel, fuel, gear and other supplies) to ships suspected of IUU fisheries. The Agreement obliges parties to share information on any vessels discovered to be engaging in IUU fishing;

  • ILO Work in Fishing Convention No. 188 (C188), in force since 2017, sets basic standards for decent work and onboard living conditions in the commercial fishing industry, including by mandating adequate food and accommodation, occupational safety and health protection, and medical care for workers on all commercial fishing vessels; and

  • IMO Cape Town Agreement (CTA), outlines safety standards for commercial fishing vessels and details regulations to protect fishing crews and their observers. The agreement is unfortunately not yet in force.