20. The Consultation noted the requirements of flag States to communicate information to FAO with respect to fishing vessels authorized to fish on the high seas, in accordance with the Agreement to Promote Compliance with International Conservation and Management Measures by Fishing Vessels on the High Seas, and that a High Seas Vessel Register (HSVAR) had been established in FAO for such a purpose.
21. The Consultation agreed that the exchange of information between parties maintaining such vessel databases could be facilitated by the standardization of data formats, as already noted by the CWP at its Victoria meeting in 2003. The Consultation considered that the CWP, in close coordination with relevant Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs), review standards and codes for information used to identify and describe vessels in vessel databases, in particular in vessel databases established at an international level for the purposes of compliance control.
22. The experts noted that several RFMOs and other organizations maintain lists of delinquent and authorized fishing vessels, but noted that lists of delinquent vessels rarely contain information on violations. The Consultation was informed of the NEAFC system of preparing "A" lists of vessels that are provisionally considered delinquent, and "B" lists of vessels determined to be delinquent and are to be denied access to ports and services of NEAFC Member States. Similar vessel databases are in use in other RFMOs (e.g. the Forum Fisheries Agency and CCAMLR), non-governmental entities (e.g. the Coalition of Legal Toothfish Operators, COLTO) and flag States.
23. The Consultation noted that at least one fishing vessel database contained crew lists, details of the Certificate of Registry, details of the officers’ Certificates of Competency, and even the Social Security Numbers of the crew.
