Agreement to Promote Compliance with International Conservation and Management Measures by Fishing Vessels on the High Seas
The  Agreement to promote compliance with international conservation and management measures by fishing vessels on the high seas as adopted by the Twenty-seventh Session of the FAO Conference, forms an integral part of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (Article 1: The Nature and Scope of the Code). In April 2003 the Agreement entered into force following receipt by the Director-General of the twenty-fifth instrument of acceptance (table 1). This instrument was negotiated to prevent the circumvention of international fisheries regulations by "re-flagging" vessels under the flags of States that are unable or unwilling to enforce such measures. As such, the Compliance Agreement closes one of the last major loopholes to sound international fisheries management.

The Agreement to promote compliance with international conservation and management measures by fishing vessels on the high seas in Ecolex: a gateway to environmental law

Status
In October 1995, a Circular State Letter (G/FI-24/PR) was sent to all States which had accepted the Agreement informing them that FAO had developed a prototype database and requesting those States to provide data on vessel authorisations to facilitate testing. The total number of vessels in the prototype database after this testing phase was 5672.

In August 2003, a second Circular State Letter (G/X/FI-30) was sent to all the States which had accepted the Agreement informing them of the entry into force, on 24 April 2003, of the Agreement and reminding them of their obligations under Article VI of the Agreement. Article VI of the Agreement requires Parties to exchange information on vessels authorised by them to fish on the high seas, and obliges FAO to facilitate this information exchange. In order to speed-up and facilitate the transmission of such information, contacts have been established with the responsible institutions/offices of each Party to the Agreement.  

The High Seas Vessels Authorization Record (HSVAR) database contains distinctive and descriptive elements of high seas fishing vessels as well as information on registration and authorization status, infringements etc.