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The FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI), at its twenty-third Session in 1999, considered IUU fishing to be a matter of high priority and recommended the elaboration of an International Plan of Action to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing (IPOA-IUU).

After two years of consultations, the IPOA-IUU was adopted by COFI on 2 March 2001. The IPOA-IUU was elaborated within the framework of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries.

The IPOA-IUU was conceived as a comprehensive toolbox, in that it is a full range of tools that are available for use in a number of different situations to combat IUU fishing.

It covers flag, port, coastal and market State responsibilities, envisages broad participation and coordination among States, as well as representatives from industry, fishing communities and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and the use of a comprehensive and integrated approach, so as to address all impacts of IUU fishing.

It calls upon States to develop and adopt their own NPOAs, addressing flag State responsibilities, coastal, port and market State measures and the role of RFMOs in the implementation of the NPOA.

The IPOA-IUU is available here.