07/03/2006 - Paris, France
– Strengthening monitoring, control and
surveillance of high seas fishing activity
and developing best practice guidelines
for regional fisheries management regimes
are among the key activities announced today
by fisheries ministers of the High Seas
Task Force on Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated
(IUU) Fishing.
“Without immediate action by the international
community against IUU fishing, there will
continue to be a major impact on fish stocks,
the marine environment and economies around
the world,” said Ben Bradshaw, United Kingdom
Marine and Fisheries Minister and Chair
of the High Seas Task Force. “The initiatives
identified by this report can be rapidly
implemented by Task Force members and like-minded
states. I believe that by working together
we can stop this environmental destruction
and help poorer countries.” IUU fishing
is a serious global problem.It is viewed
widely as one of the main obstacles to sustainable
world fisheries – directly undermining the
management efforts of responsible fishing
nations. IUU fishing spans a wide range
of unscrupulous fishing behaviour: fishing
in violation of domestic and international
laws and obligations; fishing that is not
reported to relevant authorities; and fishing
by vessels flying the flag of a state that
is not party to relevant international fisheries
organizations. Without resolute international
attention, IUU fishing is likely to continue
to be a high-reward, low-risk activity.fishing
in violation of domestic and international
laws and obligations; fishing that is not
reported to relevant authorities; and fishing
by vessels flying the flag of a state that
is not party to relevant international fisheries
organizations. Without resolute international
attention, IUU fishing is likely to continue
to be a high-reward, low-risk activity.fishing
in violation of domestic and international
laws and obligations; fishing that is not
reported to relevant authorities; and fishing
by vessels flying the flag of a state that
is not party to relevant international fisheries
organizations. Without resolute international
attention, IUU fishing is likely to continue
to be a high-reward, low-risk activity.low-risk
activity.low-risk activity.
In December 2003, a task force comprising
a small group of fisheries ministers from
the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand,
Canada, Chile and Namibia, together with
partners from WWF, the World Conservation
Union (IUCN) and the Earth Institute, set
out to address this global problem through
the development of an action plan. These
governments and organizations were frustrated
with the lack of international focus and
practical action on this critical issue.
“The Task Force breaks new ground as a
response to a pressing global environmental
issue,” said the Hon. Simon Upton, Chair
of the Round Table on Sustainable Development
at the OECD and Head of the High Seas Task
Force Secretariat. “It will actually kick
off ideas talked about before at the global
level, but which have so far failed to reach
fruition.”
The final report of the High Seas Task
Force identifies key measures that the members
will begin to implement immediately to address
IUU fishing, while seeking to engage a wider
group of like-minded countries and organizations.
It also proposes measures that it will endeavour
to implement in collaboration with the wider
global community to achieve more comprehensive
solutions to this problem. These measures
include:
1. Committing resources to the International
Monitoring, Control and Surveillance (MCS)
Network to enable it to become an effective
network with dedicated resources, analytical
capacity, and the ability to provide training
and support to developing countries.
2. Developing a publicly available database
of information relating to the high seas
fishing fleet, called the High Seas Fishing
Vessel Information System.
3. Promoting broader participation in the
United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement and
the UN Food and Agriculture Organization
(FAO) Compliance Agreement to improve the
reach of current governance arrangements.
4. Promoting better high seas governance
by commissioning an independent high-level
panel to develop a model for regional fisheries
management organizations (RFMOs); promoting
independent review of RFMO performance based
on the model; encouraging RFMOs to work
more effectively through better co-ordination;
and supporting initiatives to bring all
unregulated high seas fisheries under effective
governance.
5. Adopting guidelines so flag states perform
to the highest standards in meeting obligations
set out in international fisheries instruments
with respect to their high seas fishing
vessels.
6. Promoting the concept of responsible
port states that make full use of port controls
and trade measures under international law,
including promoting the FAO Model Port State
Scheme as the international minimum standard
for regional port state controls; reviewing
domestic port state measures to ensure they
meet international minimum standards; and
strengthening domestic legislation controlling
import of IUU product.
7. Filling critical gaps in scientific knowledge
and assessment through the establishment
of a small network of institutions to research
and analyse the magnitude, composition and
location of catch and bycatch due to IUU
fishing.
8. Addressing the needs of developing countries
by targeting improvements in MCS and flag
state control, addressing broader governance
issues in these countries, and accommodating
their interests in high seas fisheries.
9. Promoting better use of technological
solutions by enhancing the integrity of
vessel monitoring systems and promoting
better sharing of data within RFMOs.
What the measures all have in common is
a capacity to minimize the key economic
incentives to participate in IUU fishing.
They also seek to ensure that illegal fishing
behaviour receives the same public profile
as other illegal activities.
The measures are practical initiatives;
they provide a way for Task Force members
to act individually and collectively to
begin the implementation process, and to
directly and personally engage their political
counterparts in further multilateral collaboration.
From March 2006, the United Kingdom, on
behalf of the HSTF, will establish an international
co-ordination unit to develop a targeted
strategy to:
• encourage and promote broader acceptance
and participation in the adoption of measures
proposed;
• seek agreement on implementation arrangements
through regular consultation with Task Force
member states and like-minded partners;
and
• establish a monitoring unit to review
and evaluate progress.
The international community should expect
to hear about these initiatives in a range
of multilateral fora over the coming year.
