CREDIT/ FAO

Last year, roughly one of every six fish sold around the world was caught illegally.

That number is now poised to drop precipitously, thanks to the Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA), the world’s first international treaty designed specifically to tackle illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. 

Under this new agreement, parties are obliged to ensure that any fishing vessel that comes to its port, even for refuelling, must announce that it is doing so and submit to an inspection of their log book, licences, fishing gear and, to be sure, their actual cargo. Port state authorities agree to share information on violations, thus making it harder for rogue fishers to shift their practices elsewhere.

The treaty, which was adopted by the UN Food and Agricultural Organization’s members in 2009, marks a big step beyond self-regulation of the seafood sector, from which illicit activity siphons off up to US$23 billion a year.

More than 30 countries plus the European Union have formally deposited their instruments of adherence with the FAO, the treaty has now entered into force and a new era has begun.

Those who fish illegally – who not only profit but also jeopardise coordinated efforts to manage global marine resources in a sustainable manner so that fishing can prosper as a viable activity and people everywhere can enjoy its nutritional benefits – face higher operating costs and the serious risk of being caught.

To be sure, the treaty today applies only to those countries that gave the required consent. To give the treaty more traction, and accelerate both its effectiveness and impact, more countries must join. As they do, there will be ever-fewer port-hopping opportunities for rogue vessels determined to flaunt laws that regulate catch levels, usually to protect biodiversity and stock levels.

But have no doubts. History’s net has been cast. Membership is destined to grow.

I offer my congratulations to all the countries that are already parties to the treaty: Australia, Barbados, Cabo Verde, Chile, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, the European Union (on behalf of its member states), Gabon, Grenada, Guinea, Guyana, Iceland, Indonesia, Mauritius, Mozambique, Myanmar, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Palau, South Korea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Thailand, Tonga, the United States, Uruguay and Vanuatu.

The marine resources of Myanmar have been dramatically declining for the past decades under the pressure of overfishing. Research data from the Nansen Survey, led by the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research with the support of the FAO and released in February, reveals a decline in Myanmar’s coastal fish stocks of 80 percent in the past 30 to 40 years. The researchers also found a significant reduction in the most valuable commercial species and a significant increase in smaller, fast recruiting and less valuable species. The PSMA is an important step forward to restore fish stocks in Myanmar.

The agreement makes it harder for improperly caught fish to enter the market, disrupting a critical step in seafood’s complex ocean-to-table supply chain.

Some ships may choose to travel further, already a costly decision and disincentive. Moreover, ports that offer services to such outlaws will not escape notice. Parties to the PSMA will fund capacity-building measures for countries that need it – and the FAO is offering technical and legal assistance – and tolerance of rogue behaviour will likely increase the burden of eventual compliance.

And let there be no doubt: Compliance is eventually inevitable. Players in the global fish industry are increasingly exploiting their sustainable practices as a marketing asset and catch documentation and eco-labelling schemes gather steam. Adhering to the treaty may enhance a country’s trade opportunities.

As a turning point in the struggle against illegality in the fisheries sector, the PSMA is a concrete step toward healthier oceans, as called for by Goal 14 of the new Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development.

At the FAO, we emphasise how sustainable development requires an integrated effort and relies on network effects – which in turn can catalyse positive feedback loops. The requisite port state inspections, for example, may indirectly complement other global concerns, including the use of slave labour in the fishing-industry, illicit trade in endangered species and better management of marine protected areas.

José Graziano da Silva is the director general of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.