The Consultation reaffirmed the importance of Resolution (6/2003) “Progress Report on Implementation of the International Plan of Action to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing” adopted last year at the FAO Conference and identified the following recommendations for consideration by the Twenty-sixth session of COFI in 2005 and the following FAO Ministerial Meeting on Fisheries to ensure effective and full implementation of the resolution as well as IPOA-IUU and IPOA-capacity.
1) to reaffirm the importance of the paragraph 12 of the resolution and to apply this paragraph also to implementation of IPOA-capacity, in particular taking account of the needs:
- to ensure full utilization of possible financial and technical sources including relevant FAO programmes, bilateral fishery assistance and the Fund established pursuant to Part VII of the 1995 UN Fish Stocks Agreement for the enhancement of necessary capacities of evaluation of stocks, their sustainable management and their control;
- to invite FAO to reinforce its assistance to developing counties for formulation and implementation of their fisheries management and development policies and definition of their specific needs;
- to invite States whose nationals have fishing activities in developing countries’ waters to assure the cooperation in partnership with those countries.
2) to promote cooperation and harmonization of minimum standards among coastal States at a regional level where appropriate for sustainable management of shared fish stocks and invite FAO to explore a possible use of regional coordinators in FAO programmes for such promotion;
3) to invite States, either directly, through RFMOs, through other regional or sub-regional arrangements, to develop measures to control flagging and re-flagging of fishing vessels to flag States not duly fulfilling their obligations in accordance with the relevant provisions of the 1995 UN Fish Stocks Agreement, the 1993 FAO Compliance Agreement or additional requirements of such RFMOs or regional arrangements or duties deriving from relevant IPOAs;
4) to request States either directly, through RFMOs, through other regional or subregional arrangements, to develop measures to control and monitor transshipment of catches at sea;
5) to urge FAO and all Parties of the 1993 FAO Compliance Agreement to implement promptly the Article VI of the Agreement and all non-Parties to take actions consistent with the Article immediately;
6) to request RFMOs that have not already done so to consider, as a matter of priority, the assessment of capacity and the development and implementation of capacity management schemes in conjunction with other appropriate management measures for fisheries under their purview, taking into account all relevant factors and in a manner consistent with the rights and obligations of all states under international law;
7) in parallel to implementation of paragraph 10 of the resolution, to request FAO to study and assess fishery management aspect of the “genuine link” issue as invited by UNGA Resolution 58-240 as a matter of priority, in particular to determine beneficial ownership of fishing vessels used in IUU fishing operations;
8) in recognition of the range of work being undertaken by various RFMOs on the IUU fishing and over-capacity issues, call on the FAO to promote coordination on such work, to establish a database of the available information including any available list of IUU vessels identified and publicized by RFMOs and to make information on IUU fishing available through the FAO Fisheries internet site;
9) to invite the FAO to integrate and analyze information and data regarding IUU fishing and fishing capacity from multiple sources, and to identify information and data gaps, in order to develop a global picture of IUU fishing and over-capacity;
10) to recommend that RFMOs consider invitation of third party expert auditors to review and provide recommendations and expert advice with respect both to the range of conservation and management measures adopted by the RFMO and to the effective implementation of these measures;
11) to encourage States to take all necessary steps to ensure that state agencies involved in the registration of fishing vessels and the authorisation of the importation and exportation of fish and fish products co-ordinate their activities with a view to identifying and closing gaps which may aid IUU fishing and the trade in fish harvested and fish products produced as a result of IUU fishing;
12) to invite COFI to make sure that the obligations in Article 48 of the IPOA-capacity and in Article 93 in the IPOA-IUU are fully complied with. To that end, it is necessary to assess the value of the national plans of action in relation to their effects on fisheries, to promote better fisheries practices and to ensure that the required reduction of fishing mortality on targeted fish stocks will be achieved in due time;
13) to request States to review the sanctions against IUU fishing available under their national laws in order to ensure that such sanctions function as a sufficient deterrent to IUU fishing wherever it occurs, taking account of all relevant information including available guidance for such review;
14) to recommend that RFMOs adopt effective measures to enhance compliance by contracting parties to RFMOs, pursuant to paragraph 84 of the IPOA-IUU;
15) in conformity with paragraph 25 of the IPOA-IUU, encourage all States and all interested stakeholders including industry, fishing communities and non-governmental organizations to implement the national plans of action as soon as possible, and to actively participate, with the full support of FAO, in the international network of cooperation and coordination of the monitoring, control and surveillance of fishing activities, in accordance with resolutions 28, 28.1 and 28.2 of the IPOA-IUU;
16) invite State to collect, exchange and disclose to the extent possible under domestic law, information on the activities of international business entities such as trading companies undermining effectiveness of the IPOAs so that the concerned States and fishing entities can take appropriate cooperative actions to prevent such activities;
17) to encourage all States either directly through RFMOs through other regional and subregional organizations and in conformity with Section II of the IPOA-capacity, to implement the national plans of action as soon as possible taking due account of the special requirements of developing countries including those for small-scale fisheries.
