Pew has welcomed an announcement by the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization that the new treaty to address illegal fishing is open for signature and called on governments to ratify and implement this treaty. The treaty is officially called as the Agreement of Port State Measures to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing, the treaty specifies minimum standards for inspection and provides port States with the obligation to prohibit entry to illegal fishing vessels.
Stefan Flothmann, director of International Ocean Governance at the Pew Environment Group, said that governments must immediately start to crack down on illegal fishing and refuse port entry to those responsible. He added that ratifying and implementing the treaty is critical to end illegal fishing.
It is told that the treaty is now open for signature with some countries already signing at yesterday’s meeting. The agreement will legally enter into force after 25 countries have ratified it. Flothmann said that the illegal fishing crisis is such that we cannot afford to wait for this treaty to enter into force.
