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Improving States’ Capacities to Combat Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing - GCP/INT/307/NOR

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Year of publication 2024

Place of publication Rome, Italy ;

Pages 2

Publisher FAO ;

Category Factsheet

Synopsis (short abstract) Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing undermines national and regional efforts to conserve and manage fish stocks, and inhibits progress towards achieving the goals of long-term sustainability. The detrimental effects of IUU fishing are particularly severe for developing coastal states and Small Island Developing States (SIDS), impacting national economies, livelihoods and the environment. In response to this phenomenon, a framework of international instruments has been developed in recent decades, the most important among them the FAO Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing, commonly referred to as the Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA). In this context, this Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad)-funded project aimed to improve developing countries and SIDS’ capability in the cohesive implementation of provision and procedures consistent with the PSMA and related international instruments, regional mechanisms and tools to combat IUU fishing. The main recipient countries of FAO’s legal and technical assistance and capacity development comprised Ghana, Guinea, Indonesia, Madagascar, Namibia and Sri Lanka. Several other developing countries, both Parties and non-Parties to the PSMA, benefited from the project’s activities aimed at strengthening regional coordination and cooperation on port State measures (PSMs)/the PSMA and complementary instruments to combat IUU fishing.

Language English

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    Enhancing Countries’ Capacities to Combat Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing - GCP/INT/313/SWE 2024
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    Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing undermines national and regional efforts to conserve and manage fish stocks, and, as a consequence, inhibits progress towards achieving the goals of long-term sustainability. Developing States’ capacities to tackle IUU fishing through port state measures (PSMs) and complementary instruments and mechanisms are varied. Some are more advanced and already have established a series of measures to combat IUU fishing, and require only limited assistance to effectively fulfil their international obligations. Many have in place basic fisheries legislation based on objectives of conservation, protection and sustainability of the fisheries resources, but lack enabling policies, laws and regulations to effectively prevent, deter and eliminate IUU fishing. Against this background, the project aimed to improve the capacity of States for the effective implementation of PSMs and complementary monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) operations, measures and tools to combat IUU fishing.
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    Combatting Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing through the Global Record Programme - GCP/GLO/595/MUL 2023
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    Addressing illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing is crucial as it undermines efforts at national, regional and global levels for effective fisheries management to achieve sustainable fisheries. Over the years, an international framework has been developed to strengthen fisheries management since the adoption of United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea in 1982. This framework is comprised of both binding agreements and voluntary instruments, and a number of provisions and requirements to specifically address IUU fishing. Within this framework, States, along with Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs), need to collaborate to fulfil their international commitments, for which the availability and exchange of information is key. The Global Record of Fishing Vessels, Refrigerated Transport Vessels and Supply Vessels (Global Record) Programmewas developed to promote data and information exchange standards and mechanisms in fisheries through an Information System, which was developed and launched under this project.
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    Factsheet
    Supporting the Implementation of the Regional Plan of Action to Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing in the Caribbean - GCP/SLC/016/EC 2024
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    National economies, food security, the environment and labourstandards are all negatively impacted by illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, which is estimated to account for between 20 and 30 percent of all fishing in the Caribbean. The deleterious effects of IUU fishing are exacerbated further by a regional context that is characterized by limited management, conservation and development capacities, as well as limited technical and operational capabilities. Regional collaboration is critical to preventing, deterring and ultimately eliminating IUU fishing, and to improving the overall governance of oceans. A key player in this collaboration in the Caribbean is the Western Central Atlantic Fishery Commission (WECAFC), which, in recent years, has been undergoing a strategic reorientation with the aim of becoming an effective Regional Fisheries Management Entity/Arrangement (RFME/A). This project was designed to enhance regional governance for sustainable fisheries by supporting WECAFC’s 34 members in their efforts to combat IUU fishing, and to support the establishment of a regional fisheries management body to advise on and enforce the WECAFC’s mandate as an RFME/A.
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