Placeholder canvas
My Green Pod Logo

First illegal fishing treaty

UN agency announces world's first illegal fishing treaty is now in force
First illegal fishing treaty

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has announced that a groundbreaking international accord aimed at stamping out illegal fishing went into effect on 05 June and is now legally binding for the 29 countries and a regional organisation that have adhered to it.

A binding treaty

The Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing (PSMA), adopted as an FAO Agreement in 2009 after a years-long diplomatic effort, is the first ever binding international treaty that focuses specifically on illicit fishing.

The threshold to activation of the treaty – which called for at least 25 countries to adhere to it – was surpassed last month, triggering a 30-day countdown to its entry-into-force on 05 June.

‘We hail those countries that have already signed on to the agreement and who will begin implementing it… We invite governments who have yet to do so, to join the collective push to stamp out illegal fishing and safeguard the future of our ocean resources,’

JOSE GRAZIANO DA SILVA
FAO Director-General

Currently, the parties to the PSMA are: Australia, Barbados, Chile, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, the European Union (as a member organisation), Gabon, Guinea, Guyana, Iceland, Mauritius, Mozambique, Myanmar, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Palau, Republic of Korea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Thailand, Tonga, the United States of America, Uruguay and Vanuatu.

Hardening ports

According to FAO, parties to the Agreement are obliged to implement a number of measures while managing ports under their control, with the goals of detecting illegal fishing, stopping ill-caught fish from being offloaded and sold and ensuring information on unscrupulous vessels is shared globally.

These include requiring foreign fishing vessels wishing to enter ports to request permission in advance and transmitting detailed information on their identities, activities and the fish they have onboard. Landings can only happen at specially designated ports equipped for effective inspections.

Ships suspected of being involved in illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing can be denied entry into port outright – or permitted to enter for inspection purposes only and refused permission to offload fish, refuel or resupply.

Vessels that are allowed into ports may be subject to inspections. They will be required to prove that they are licensed to fish by the country whose flag they fly, and that they have the necessary permissions from the countries in whose waters they operate. If not, or if inspections turn up evidence of IUU fishing activity, vessels will be denied any further use of ports and reported as violators.

Once a ship is denied access or inspections reveal problems, parties must communicate that information to the country under whose flag the vessel is registered and inform other treaty participants as well as portmasters in neighbouring countries.

A first of its kind

Operating without proper authorisation, catching protected species, using outlawed types of gear or disregarding catch quotas are among the most common IUU fishing activities. Such practices undermine efforts to manage marine fisheries responsibly, damaging their productivity and in some cases precipitating their collapse

While there are options for combating IUU fishing at sea, they are often expensive and can – especially for developing countries – be difficult to implement, given the large ocean spaces that need to be monitored and the costs of the required technology. Accordingly, port state measures are one of the most efficient and cost-effective ways to fight IUU fishing.

The now-active port state measures agreement provides the international community with valuable tool for achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which includes a stand-alone goal on the conservation of and sustainable use of oceans and a specific sub-target on IUU fishing.

Click here to read the full Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing (PSMA).

Here's more related content

Sorry we don't have any suggested related content at the moment. Please check back later.

Join The Conversation

Leave a Reply

Here's More Ethical Business News & Features

  • All
  • B Corp
  • COP28
  • Fairtrade
  • Hero
  • IT
  • P.E.A. Awards
  • SDGs
  • USA
  • activism
  • activists
  • awards
  • banking
  • banks
  • biodiversity
  • business
  • carbon
  • carbon footprint
  • charity
  • climate
  • climate action
  • climate emergency
  • climate justice
  • community
  • computing
  • consciousness
  • data
  • deforestation
  • e-waste
  • economy
  • emissions
  • ethical business
  • farmers
  • farming
  • food
  • forests
  • fossil fuels
  • gas
  • human rights
  • indigenous
  • inequality
  • jobs
  • just transition
  • kids
  • law
  • leadership
  • legal
  • money
  • net zero
  • oil
  • packaging
  • plastic
  • plastic pollution
  • plastics
  • policy
  • politics
  • pollution
  • recycled
  • recycling
  • schools
  • sustainability
  • sustainable business
  • tech
  • waste
  • wealth
  • women
  • work