New expanded procedures for port state control were agreed unanimously by all NEAFC’s (North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission) Contracting Parties in November 2006. Dry runs this month have put the final touches on the system, which is now ready and in place.
The Control and Enforcement Committee of NEAFC met in Bergen 25-26 April to make sure that the Port Control System was ready for the 1 May start. The system is ready and from tomorrow fishing vessels, transport companies and exporters and importers of frozen fish have to follow the procedures of the system. Information on the system can be found on the NEAFC website (www.neafc.org) and with national authorities.
Remarkable results of NEAFC blacklisting procedures have been seen so far - six vessels on their way for scrapping and others held back in NEAFC ports.
There are also 20 vessels, fishing vessels and reefers, on the NEAFC blacklist.
Of these, six notorious pirates, fishing illegally for redfish in the Irminger Sea, have been confirmed to be on their way for scrapping after being held back in NEAFC ports. Nine others, fishing vessels and reefers, are held back in NEAFC ports and five are known to be operating outside the North Atlantic.
Commenting on the development, the Chair of the NEAFC Control and Enforcement
Committee, Martin Newman, said “The port control system will be in place to stop IUU fish landings without hampering, but protecting legal operators. The astonishing results of the blacklisting of vessels flying flags of convenience bodes well for the system coming into force tomorrow.”
The new extended procedures also address unreported catches by NEAFC’s Contracting Parties when they land frozen fish in foreign ports.
The procedures provide for prior notification of landings of frozen fish that will include a declaration by the master of the vessel of the catch on board. Before the landings can be authorised by the port state, the flag state of the landing vessel must exercise its responsibilities by verifying the information provided in the declaration. In particular, the flag state must confirm that the fishing vessel had sufficient quota to allow for the catch. The flag state must also confirm that the vessel was authorised to fish and that the area of catch has been verified by a Vessel Monitoring System. Without the confirmation, no authorisation can be given by the port state. Without authorisation no landing can occur. The control measures also include new obligations and benchmarks as regards inspections to be carried out by the port state. This provides the means for Contracting Parties to control landings of illegally caught fish from the whole NEAFC Convention Area, for example, cod from the Barents Sea.
Under the new procedures a limited number of ports for each Contracting Party have been designated for landings of frozen fish by foreign vessels. A list of these ports can be found on the NEAFC website (www.neafc.org). The master has to submit one form if the landings only contain fish fished by the vessel itself and another form if the landing vessel has received transhipments from other vessels, as often is the case with reefers.
