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Transshipment in fisheries is increasingly being considered an essential support for certain fishing operations but requires effective regulation, monitoring and control to reduce the risk of this practice facilitating the entry into the value chain of fish derived from illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
This was the main message emerging from the first of three information webinars on transshipment in fisheries, organised by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), following the recent publication of the study Transshipment: a closer look. An in-depth study in support of the development of international guidelines.

The in-depth study was undertaken in response to the call by the FAO Committee on Fisheries in support of the development of guidelines on best practices to regulate, monitor and control transshipment.

The webinar, held on 15 December 2020, was facilitated by Alicia Mosteiro, FAO Fisheries Officer, and addressed by other authors of the study who presented the methodology adopted and the case studies included; the different types of transshipment activities identified and their occurrences; the drivers, risks and impacts of transshipment on fisheries; and key elements to be considered in developing international guidelines.

Participants at the webinar included government officials, national fisheries officers, monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) practitioners, members of Regional Fisheries Management Organizations’ secretariats and academics, predominantly from South East Asia and the Pacific regions.

In his opening remarks, Dr Matthew Camilleri, Head of the Fishing Operations and Technology Branch within FAO’s Fisheries Division, referred to the principles and international standards for responsible fishing practices constituting the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries adopted 25 years ago and complemented by other international instruments over the years in support of the implementation of the Code’s provisions. He explained that “there was now an urgent need to further support the objectives of the Code by addressing the rising concerns associated with transshipment and to adopt international standards for responsible transshipment operations”.

In his concluding intervention, Mr. Blaise Kuemlangan, Chief of the Development Law Service, FAO Legal Office, remarked that “while the study identifies issues of concern, the main objective is ensuring that transshipment and related issues are addressed globally”. Mr. Kuemlangan emphasised that “this issue will need to be dealt with not only on the level of international guidelines but also at a national level, including through capacity building, to make sure that States have a robust regulatory and control regime which can mitigate the risk of introducing into the supply chain, fish caught through IUU fishing”.

The in-depth study on transshipment, in English, is available at this link while an informative brochure on the subject is available in six languages at this link.