The first working version of the Global Record Information System has been launched
The first working version of the Information System of the Global Record for Fishing Vessels, Refrigerated Transport Vessels and Supply Vessels (Global Record) was launched at the FAO Headquarters in Rome, during a presentation to Committee on Fisheries (COFI) members who attended an Informal Meeting during an earlier morning session.
The Information System is now available for authorized users within FAO Member States who, in the coming months, will be compiling and inserting data in preparation to its public launch. Certified data are compiled, disseminated and provided by official State authorities that are also responsible for it.
There are several stakeholders that will find, in the Global Record, an important tool in their day-to-day work to fight illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing including, but not limited to, inspectors, port State administrations, flag State administrations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the general public.
On the same occasion, a new Web site for the Global Record programme has been launched, to provide background information and up-to-date news and developments about the global initiative.
The foundations of the Global Record programme were laid in 2005 when the Rome Declaration on Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing was adopted by the FAO Ministerial Meeting on Fisheries. The tool ties in to a framework of several legal instruments available including the Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA).
The Global Record of Fishing Vessels, Refrigerated Transport Vessels and Supply Vessels has been developed thanks to the financial support of the European Commission, the Icelandic Ministry of Industries and Innovation, the Spanish Ministerio de Agricultura y Pesca, Alimentación y Medio Ambiente and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States Department of Commerce.