Last week saw the 10th anniversary of the EU Long Distance Fleet Advisory Council (LDAC), the EU stakeholder body formed by representatives of the fishing industry, seafood processing and marketing sectors, trade unions and NGOs.
LDAC’s role is to advise European Institutions and member states on policy related to distant water fishing. It currently has more than 50 members from 12 EU coastal member states.
On the same day, the LDAC’s General Assembly added its support for a key measure in the fight against illegal fishing worldwide as its general asssembly unanimously approved an advice recommending the introduction of a requirement for non-EU vessels catching seafood for export to the EU market to carry an IMO number.
The advice asks the European Commission to amend the implementing act to the EU’s illegal fishing Regulation, in order to make IMO numbers mandatory for vessels of 15 metres in length and above, fishing outside of waters under the national jurisdiction of the flag State, provided they are eligible under the IMO Ship Identification Number scheme, as well as for vessels of 24 metres in length (or 100gt) and above, fishing exclusively within the waters of the flag State.
IMO numbers have been mandatory for EU fishing vessels with these specifications since January 2016, facilitating the tracking of fishing activities throughout their lifespan.
