29. The Committee considered illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing on the basis of document ACFR/III/200/6. The Secretariat noted that IUU fishing was not a new problem and that it was evident in all capture fisheries, irrespective of whether they were in inland waters, exclusive economic zones or on the high seas. The issue of IUU fishing had been given high priority on the international fisheries agenda because of its increasing incidence, the lack of control over fishing vessels by some flag States and the need to consider alternative mechanisms to deal with the problem, including measures of a port and market nature. Furthermore and significantly, it was pointed out that IUU fishing undermined efforts to conserve and manage fish stocks.
30. The FAO process for the development of an international plan of action (IPOA) to combat IUU fishing within the framework for the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries was outlined, noting that the Twenty-third Session of the Committee on Fisheries (COFI) had provided the mandate for this work. It was anticipated that a draft IPOA would be presented to the next Session of COFI in February/March 2001 for its consideration and possible endorsement.
31. In its deliberations the Committee focused principally on research implications of IUU fishing, noting, in particular, paragraph 66bis of the draft IPOA that addressed research. It was agreed that the quality of science was impacted adversely by poor data and that IUU fishing served to reduce the reliability of data. It was noted that there was strong emphasis in the draft IPOA on the use of electronic vessel monitoring systems (VMS). Such systems, if properly designed from the outset with scientific requirements in mind, had the potential to enhance the quality and timeliness of data for scientific assessments. The Committee stressed the need for social science, especially in small-scale inland and coastal fisheries where VMS would not generally be used and legal research to support the implementation of the IPOA.
32. The Committee acknowledged that to give effect to paragraph 66bis in the draft IPOA would require research in support of the forensic identification of fish products. This issue was escalating in international importance, not only for the tracking of fishing in connection with the marketing of fish suspected or known to have been taken by IUU fishers but also for food safety and health reasons. The Committee foresaw a need for international cooperation to coordinate current and future forensic and related-work and for readily accessible global databases to be established.
33. The Secretariat introduced document ACFR/III/2000/7 and explained the reasons for FAO becoming involved in an evaluation of the CITES listing criteria as they applied to resources exploited by fisheries in marine and large freshwater bodies. The FAO process to date was described, culminating in a Technical Consultation held in June 2000 in Rome. The next major step in the process would be the consideration by the Twenty-fourth Session of COFI of the report from this Consultation.
34. The Secretariat drew attention to the fact that the initial FAO Review was criticized for focusing on the listing criteria for Appendix I and not adequately addressing the criteria for listing under Appendix II, which were the more controversial criteria and under which more organisms were currently listed. Other views expressed at the Technical Consultation of particular relevance to ACFR were: the recommendation that the criteria should take account of taxonomic, life history and other features relevant to risk of extinction; concern about the potential implications of widespread use of the look-alike provision in CITES; and the opinion that the existing interpretation of the precautionary approach in the criteria was susceptible to extreme interpretations.
35. The Committee considered that the issues of endangered species and sustainable fisheries management were part of the conservation and management continuum and that sound and objective scientific information should underpin both. Fisheries management had developed and acquired a wealth of population dynamic information and theory, and the approaches used in fisheries were applicable to CITES issues and should be conveyed to CITES.
36. The Committee suggested that tracking of international trade was gaining recognition as an important tool for improving the quality of fisheries statistics for use in scientific assessments, to facilitate monitoring of and ensuring compliance (e.g. as is proposed under the IUU Plan of Action), and to provide information for guiding policy considerations. If the collection and application of information on international trade in fish and fish products became a more integral part of fisheries management, the necessity for CITES involvement could be reduced.
37. The Committee agreed that the existing criteria for CITES listing were not well suited to exploited aquatic species. For example, criteria based on absolute numbers were less likely to be broadly applicable than relative criteria considering, for example, existing abundance or distribution as a proportion of the mean unexploited values. Equally, the current criteria did not make adequate allowance for full use of the tremendous amount of relevant data on many exploited aquatic species, or on the population dynamics tools and experience developed in fisheries. The Committee endorsed FAO's activities in attempting to improve the criteria by using fisheries knowledge, experience and assessment techniques. This effort should encourage CITES not only to make the criteria more appropriate for the fisheries sector, but should advance the scientific basis of the criteria in general.
38. The Committee noted that, as was routine in effective fisheries management, proposals for listing species on CITES Appendixes should be primarily based on sound and objective scientific information, evaluated through a clearly defined, transparent and peer reviewed process that involved experts on the species being considered. The Committee encouraged FAO to share with CITES such experience gained in fisheries management to assist CITES in their attempts to improve their listing criteria and procedures.
39. The Committee endorsed the proposal that CITES listing criteria and their implications for fisheries should be discussed at the next meeting of regional fishery management organizations, to be held at FAO Headquarters in February 2001, and that there should be appropriate representation from CITES at that meeting.
40. The Committee noted that the 'look-alike' criterion had the potential for being widely applicable in fisheries since there were many cases where species appeared very similar, especially in processed form. It therefore suggested that the implications of the 'look-alike' provision in fisheries should be carefully evaluated. Such an evaluation should include investigation of the relationship between the financial and bureaucratic costs to the exporting country of monitoring exports and the effectiveness of the monitoring scheme. It should also include statistical consideration of the effectiveness of a monitoring scheme in detecting endangered species in amongst relatively large volumes of 'look-alikes'. In addition, alternative means of achieving compliance with Appendix I listings should be considered, such as the viability of genetic testing.
41. For the information of the Committee the Secretariat gave a brief presentation on The Reykjavik Conference on Responsible Fisheries in the Marine Ecosytem. The conference, which was being jointly organized by FAO and the Government of Iceland with co-sponsorship from the Government of Norway, would be held in Reykavik, Iceland, from 1 to 4 October 2001. The Secretariat highlighted the importance of the Conference in bringing together experts in the field of ecosystems science with policy-makers and industry members from the fisheries sector in order to discuss the issues surrounding ecosystems based fisheries management.
42. The Committee noted that the outcomes from the Conference might have research implications for the FAO Fisheries Department and that these might need to be considered by the Committee at a later date.
43. The Secretariat made a brief presentation on the status of a survey on barriers to fish trade in response to the recommendation of the Committee at its Second Session. It was reported that the survey based on a questionnaire, was being conducted in 60 countries involving 30 to 60 companies in each. It was expected to be completed in spring 2001. The Committee would be informed of the outcome at its Fourth Session.
