A new treaty aiming to close fishing ports to IUU fishing vessels has been agreed upon by 91 countries. The "Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing" is the first ever global treaty focussed on IUU fishing.
The aim of the treaty is to help block IUU fish from entering international markets, removing the incentive for fishermen to become involved in IUU fishing.
Key points of the treaty include:
• Foreign vessels must request permission from the port in advance and submit information on their activities and fish they have onboard, giving the authorities time to spot a red flag in advance.
• Countries will have regular inspections and a set of standards will be used during these inspections.
• Ports and inspectors must be adequately equipped and trained.
• If a vessel is denied access, port states must make this information public and the national authorities from the vessel's flag country must take action.
• Creation of information-sharing network for all countries to share details of IUU vessels.
These measures apply to fishing vessels not flying the flag of port states, but countries can apply them to their own fleets. The agreement will be reviewed by the FAO's Committee on Constitutional and Legal Matters and FAO's Council in September and then the FAO Conference in November. The agreement must then be approved at a national level, and once 25 counties have done so it will enter force after 30 days.
