Library

The Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) has found that many Western coastal countries in Africa have been unable to control and monitor transshipment at sea. These coastal countries have insufficient resources to inspect vessels before transshipment and instead rely on onboard observers monitoring for illegal activity, who have multiple shortcomings. With 37% of West African catch coming from IUU fishing, this activity puts marine management at risk and poses severe threats to the livelihoods of coastal countries' citizens. The EJF proposes banning transshipment at sea for these coastal countries, requiring them to work with the international community and improve their monitoring and control systems.

This report reviews the transshipment measures of the five tuna RFMOs plus SEAFO and CCAMLR. Although each tuna RFMO generally prohibits at-sea transshipment except for large-scale longline fishing vessels with 100% observer coverage on the carrier vessels, the report discusses the relationship with other MCS measures leaves multiple gaps and shortfalls. Through the analysis of non-tuna RFMO transshipment measures in critical comparison, the report gives detailed recommendations to improve and strengthen tuna RFMO transshipment regulations.

Transshipment at sea is a practice where refrigerated cargo vessels, also known as reefers, meet with fishing boats to exchange catch, fresh water, food and crew. Transshipment can greatly extend the time a vessel can spend at sea fishing. However, it compromises the transparency pertaining to environmental and social sustainability within the seafood industry as catch, both legal and illegal, from several fishing vessels are mixed onboard the reefer. Satellite-based AIS data and published data on the distribution of tuna was used to map tuna presence, spawning areas, and diversity. This study aims to connect transshipment vessels and distribution patterns of seven tuna species by correlating tuna distribution and spawning grounds with reefer activity.

This report analyzed the movements of carrier vessels operating in the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) Convention area in 2016. Through analysis of AIS data, the report identified carrier vessel voyage patterns and quantity, carrier vessels' flag state patterns, the spatial distribution of potential transshipment on the high seas, and the port visit locations by carrier and flag states. The report also found that many carrier vessels did not transponder on AIS, leading to significant gaps in data on unreported transshipment events. Ultimately, the WCPFC’s management of transshipment in its Convention area is compromised by a lack of reported information on transshipment, coupled with non-compliance with reporting requirements and non-standardized reporting responses by CCMs on carrier vessels and their activities.

The Committee on Fisheries (COFI) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) requested an in-depth study of transshipment to develop international guidelines based on best practices. The FAO fisheries operations and technology branch took up the assignment and began its work in 2019. The team conducted a global study to shed light on current regulations, practices, and control of transshipment to assess the status quo. The study was finalized in 2020 and provides the most comprehensive foundation (based on a risk-based approach) for the development of international guidelines on transshipment, highlighting areas of persistent and emerging concern.

The Tuna Compliance Network (TCN) was established to facilitate communication and cooperation between officers responsible for compliance and experts in Monitoring, Control, and Surveillance. Implementing Conservation and Management Measures, specifically for highly migratory species like Tuna, can be challenging for RFMOs; however, as an informal network, TCN provides a unique opportunity for the exchange of information to take place between tuna RFMOs.

This paper reports on the Second Virtual Expert Workshop on Best Practices in Compliance in RFMOs convened in March 2021 by The PEW Charitable Trust and the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation. The second Workshop focused on the issue of transparency, which was regarded by participants at the first Workshop as a potential driver of improved quality of information, better data exchange internal to RFMOs and among States and RFMOs, stronger verification mechanisms and increased external confidence in RFMO compliance processes.
This report outlines the challenges and potential solutions when considering transparency across the various facets, roles and functions in RFMOs and, in particular, compliance review and assessment processes.

The performance of an RFMO can be compromised if members do not comply effectively with the CMMs they have created for themselves. Building on past work to analyze and support improved RFMO compliance mechanisms, in 2020, The Pew Charitable Trusts, in collaboration with the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) and other stakeholders, convened an Expert Workshop on Best Practices in Compliance in RFMOs to help identify challenges in RFMO compliance review mechanisms and suggest solutions for addressing these challenges. This report covers the range of ideas presented at the Workshop.

Following the FAO's in-depth study "Transshipment: A closer look," this report captures contributions from the ground that aim to provide voluntary guidelines for the regulation, monitoring, and control of transshipment that are in fact robust, future-proof, and operationally achievable. The study recommends looking at seven key areas that would enable relevant authorities to minimize the risk of IUU-caught seafood entering the market and to ensure compliance with national and regional legal frameworks.

This document contains the report of the Fifth Global Fisheries Enforcement Training Workshop (GFETW), which was convened in Auckland, New Zealand from 7–11 March 2016. The Workshop was organized by the International Monitoring, Control and Surveillance (MCS) Network and the Ministry for Primary Industries of New Zealand, with the collaboration of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The Fifth GFETW was sponsored by the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA), Fisheries and Oceans Canada, FAO, the Directorate of Fisheries of Norway, Marine Scotland, the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF).

This document contains the report of the Fourth Global Fisheries Enforcement Training Workshop (GFETW), which was convened in San José, Costa Rica, 17–21 February 2014. The workshop was organized by the International Monitoring, Control and Surveillance Network with the collaboration of FAO, and hosted by the Costa Rican Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock. It was sponsored by: Australian Fisheries Management Authority; Fisheries and Oceans Canada; Central American Fisheries and Aquaculture Organization; Costa Rican Institute of Fisheries and Aquaculture; FAO; Marine Scotland; Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Spain; United Kingdom Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Conservation International; International Seafood Sustainability Foundation; and Pew Charitable Trusts.

This document contains the report of the Sixth Global Fisheries Enforcement Training Workshop (GFETW), which was convened in Bangkok, Thailand from 18 to 22 February 2019. The Workshop was organised by the IMCS Network and the Department of Fisheries, Thailand. The 6th GFETW was sponsored by Fisheries and Oceans Canada, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the Directorate of Fisheries of Norway, the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and The Pew Charitable Trusts.

The theme of the 2019 GFETW was Closing the Net: Global cooperation between flag, coastal, port and market States for effective enforcement of international and domestic law.

This report contains the proceedings of the IMCS Network's first ever virtual GFETW, which took place online on 13–14 July 2021. The overall theme of the virtual GFETW was “Illuminating the unknowns – Global cooperation to eliminate the “U’s” from Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing”. The GFETW focused on an interactive format highlighting three interactive panel discussions on emerging MCS areas of interest or challenges. The event also included MCS papers, presentations, and short videos relevant to one of the following four GFETW themes: cooperation and partnerships, risk assessment and analysis, technology as an enabler, and transparency.

This Issue Paper is based on a desk review of research carried out on Transnational Organised Crime at Sea, with particular emphasis on existing UNODC materials concerning transnational organized crime at sea and
the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. It also captures discussions held in an expert group meeting Vienna held in November 2012 and serves as a background document to the recommendations of the expert meeting. The paper examines piracy and armed robbery at sea, migrant smuggling and trafficking in persons, drug trafficking, organized crime within the fishing industry and oil bunkering, both in terms of the specific activities and the common challenges and intertwined elements of these crimes.

A training tool on industrial fishing vessel inspections to assist in building knowledge in personnel who may play an operational role in fisheries monitoring, control, and surveillance (MCS), as well as for use by broader interested stakeholders.

The TCN convened its 3rd Workshop in Bangkok, Thailand, from 22 to 24 February 2019. The Workshop focused on procedures to assess compliance in tuna RFMOs and gathered, among others, the officers responsible for compliance of the five tuna RFMOs and all Chairs of the Compliance Committees of these RFMOs.

A JAC fisheries intelligence report that examines the activities and identities of vessel/s that have transmitted on AIS using an unofficial MMSI that is not associated with any flag State (MMSI 150402949). This includes strong indications that during 2020, MMSI 150402949 was transmitting from a vessel using the name LU RONG YUAN YU 197 that was IUU listed by NPFC in 2021.

A JAC fisheries intelligence report that examines the activities and AIS reporting patterns of the squid vessel LU RONG YUAN YU 715. The vessel had been transmitting simultaneously on the same two MMSIs, and analysis of photographs taken in 2022, confirmed that the vessel had been displaying and reporting a different name when in the Atlantic squid grounds (FU YUAN YU 715).

The assessment of the implementation of, and compliance with, agreed obligations is a key component of the internationally accepted fisheries governance regime. To fulfill the objectives of the tuna RFMOs, participants must implement and comply with a range of RFMO obligations. All the tuna RFMOs have recognized a need for a structured process to assess the implementation of, and compliance with, obligations and have adopted compliance assessment processes. Compliance assessment processes provide a framework to assess implementation and compliance in a structured and consistent way and may identify trends in compliance over time. Compliance assessment processes seek to improve the performance of an RFMO and to support participants to better meet their obligations.

The Voluntary Guidelines for Transshipment address the regulation, monitoring and control of transshipment of fish, which have not been previously landed, whether processed or not. They are elaborated to complement and support existing and new efforts and policies recognizing that all available means in accordance with international law and other international instruments, should be used to prevent, deter and eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and fishing related activities in support of IUU fishing.