The Global Record of Fishing Vessels, Refrigerated Transport Vessels and Supply Vessels (Global Record)
- ©FAO/Alessandra Benedetti/FAO
The Global Record of Fishing Vessels, Refrigerated Transport Vessels and Supply Vessels (Global Record) is a global initiative that primarily involves the compilation of certified information on vessels involved in fishing operations.
The main objective is to provide a useful and powerful tool to deter and eliminate illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing activities, within the framework of legal instruments available including the Agreement on Port State Measures (PSMA), making it more difficult for vessels to operate outside the law.
An essential element of the programme is the assignment of a Unique Vessel Identifier (UVI), which remains unchanged throughout the vessel’s lifetime, regardless of change of name, ownership or flag.
A programme by the FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department, the Global Record was supported by FAO member States through the FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI) as one of the main global tools to fight IUU fishing.