Table of Contents

SUGGESTED ACTIONS BY THE SUB-COMMITTEE

1. The issue of catch certification has been discussed in many venues over the last few years, including in the FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI). The wording of the COFI Report in February 2001 reflects this continuing concern in the following manner.

"51. It was agreed that the agenda for the Eighth Session of the COFI Sub-Committee on Fish Trade should also include an item on the feasibility and practicality of harmonizing catch certification used by some regional fisheries management bodies. It was pointed out that, with the aim to prepare suitable recommendations to the Sub-Committee this issue should be considered by an expert consultation in conjunction with the regional fishery bodies concerned and taking into account the objectives of these certification schemes. Some Members expressed the view that when any recommendation was developed, it should not result in greater costs for countries or their industries."

2. The issues of catch certification and catch documentation are also addressed in the International Plan of Action to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing (IPOA-IUU). The IPOA-IUU was adopted by consensus at the Twenty-fourth Session of COFI on 2 March and endorsed by the Hundred and Twentieth Session of the FAO Council on 23 June 2001. The relevant sections of the IPOA-IUU state that:

"68. States should cooperate, including through relevant global and regional fisheries management organizations, to adopt appropriate multilaterally agreed trade-related measures, consistent with the WTO, that may be necessary to prevent, deter and eliminate IUU fishing for specific fish stocks or species. Multilateral trade-related measures envisaged in regional fisheries management organizations may be used to support cooperative efforts to ensure that trade in specific fish and fish products does not in any way encourage IUU fishing or otherwise undermine the effectiveness of conservation and management measures which are consistent with the 1982 UN Convention.

69. Trade-related measures to reduce or eliminate trade in fish and fish products derived from IUU fishing could include the adoption of multilateral catch documentation and certification requirements, as well as other appropriate multilaterally-agreed measures such as import and export controls or prohibitions. Such measures should be adopted in a fair, transparent and non-discriminatory manner. When such measures are adopted, States should support their consistent and effective implementation."

3. The recommendations of the IPOA-IUU are more specific and contain the following paragraphs:

"75. States should work towards using the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System for fish and fisheries products in order to help promote the implementation of the IPOA.

76. Certification and documentation requirements should be standardized to the extent feasible, and electronic schemes developed where possible, to ensure their effectiveness, reduce opportunities for fraud, and avoid unnecessary burdens on trade.

91. FAO should convene an Expert Consultation on the implementation of paragraph 76 of the IPOA."

4. In response to the IPOA-IUU, the FAO Secretariat has collaborated with the Chairperson of the Meeting of Regional Fishery Bodies, to convene an Expert Consultation of Regional Fishery Management Bodies on the Harmonization of Catch Certification. The Expert Consultation will be held in La Jolla, California, from 9 to 11 January 2002. The meeting will be attended by experts nominated by the regional fishery bodies with management functions, experts in catch certification and trade, and those directly involved in catch certification. There was also a limited number of experts nominated by FAO.

SUGGESTED ACTIONS BY THE SUB-COMMITTEE

5. The Sub-Committee is invited to review the Report of the Expert Consultation of Regional Fishery Management Bodies on the Harmonization of Catch Certification (Addendum to this document), and to provide guidance, as appropriate.