Promoted as a key measure to combat illegal fishing, the Port State Measures Agreement, adopted and promoted by FAO, has been welcomed by EU Fisheries Commissioner Karmenu Vella and others as it allows nations to exclude illegal operators and prevent illegal catches form being landed.
Adopted in 2009 by the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the Port State Measures Agreement finally enters force today on the 5th June, thirty days after the agreement’s 25th ratification.
‘We now have a powerful instrument that will help fight illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing at European and at global level. This is a significant improvement to international ocean governance,’ said Karmenu Vella.
‘The European Union has always played a leading role in the fight against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing activities and was among the first to approve this major international agreement. IUU threatens the economic survival of fishermen who play by the rules,’ he said, commenting that the worldwide scale of the problem is massive.
‘IUU fishing is worth up to 10 billion euros a year. That’s 15% of the global seafood market. The agreement ensures better control of what happens in ports and is a key tool to prevent IUU fish from entering the market. It sends a clear message: when it comes to illegal fishing, we will not turn a blind eye.’
The Port State Measures Agreement requires that each nation designates ports for use by foreign fishing vessels, and that these vessels should send prior notification of entry and provide details of catches held on board. The agreement also requires nations to deny entry or to inspect vessels that have been involved in IUU fishing and to take appropriate action.
29 countries, plus the EU which signed up as a single entity, have ratified the agreement to date and several more are expected to ratify it in the next few months.
‘Ratification is only the first step. The next is putting this treaty into practice. We need to make sure that all coastal states around the world, including developing countries, have the means to effectively implement the Port State Measures Agreement. The fight against illegal fishing has become global and perpetrators will soon have nowhere to hide,’ Karmenu Vella said.
