Pacific: policy, legislation and practice Moses Amos, Director of - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Overview of the IUU fishing in the Pacific: policy, legislation and practice

Moses Amos, Director of Fisheries, Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC)

OVERVIEW OF WHAT WE WILL COVER

• Size of the Pacific Oceanic Fisheries
• National, Sub-regional & Regional Perspectives
• Successes
• Current situation
• IUU Trends and Impacts
• Challenges
• Vanuatu’s experiences
• Areas where support is needed

Size of the Pacific fishery

• The fishery is not just big - it is

huge ;

• Total EEZ of 30 million square

kilometers of ocean;

• Provides 60% of global tuna
• supply. Half from PICTs EEZs;
• Landed value = ~ US$6 billion – ~

US$3 billion from PICTs EEZs;

• 2013 Total catch = 2,621,511 mt

 PS = 1,898,090 mt  LL = 230,073 mt



• Approx. 60% of catch comes from

PNA waters

Just how much is that?

Nose to tail – the skipjack alone would go around the world more than TEN times Tuna cans produced could fill TEN stadiums EACH year

Pacific Region’s Policies – Combating IUU – 3 Levels

• National Level
• Sub-regional Level
• Regional Level

Pacific Region IUU Overview

REGIONAL (Total EEZs + HS + HS Pocket) NATIONAL (EEZs) SUBREGIONAL (EEZs of some PICTs + 1 HS Pocket)

Enhanced & uniformed equivalent effect on IUU

Regional measures compatible with sub- regional measures Regional measures compatible with national measures Sub-regional measures compatible with national measures

Successes - National Level

In-zone measures Nat. Gov.

SPC/FFA

• Conservation and Management (VDS, TAC, number of

licenses, vessel type & size)

• NPOA IUU
• Tuna Management Plans
• Compliance with sub-regional, regional and

international obligations

• Fishing vessel Registration (FFA and Domestic)
• Charter of foreign fishing vessels
• Fishing by local vessels beyond national waters
• Licensing requirements and conditions
• Data collection and reporting
• Exit and entry reporting requirements
• Observer programme
• Boarding and Inspection Programme
• Port Inspections and sampling programme
• Surveillance Programme (serial and sea surface)
• “Port – Port” Vessel Monitoring Programme
• In zone and High seas Transhipment
• FAD programme
• Enforcement and prosecution
• Catch documentation Scheme
• Seafood verification and certification

Typical Weekly VMS coverage – Vanuatu EEZ

Typical Monthly VMS coverage – Vanuatu EEZ

Successes - Sub-regional Level

Sub- regional CMMs

PICTs SR Members

SPC/FFA

• Purse seine Vessel Day Scheme
• Sub-regional Fishing vessel Registration
• Sub-regional Licensing requirements and

conditions

• Data collection and reporting
• Observer programme
• Boarding and Inspection Programme
• Vessel Monitoring Programme
• Transhipment Measures
• FAD programme
• Fisheries Information Management

System (FIMS)

• Aerial and sea surface surveillance

Successes - Regional Level

• CMMs for

– IUU Listing – Vessel Monitoring System – High Seas Transhipment – Compliance Monitoring – Compliance reports – Data reporting – Data submission and verification – Regulation of Transhipment – Vessel registration and authorization – Regional Observer programme

Regional CMMs DWFNs PICTS

Current situation in the Pacific Region

IUU Trends and Impacts

• Estimating the level of IUU fishing is extremely difficult.
• Continues to be a problem in the Pacific, affecting conservation and

management measures both in EEZs ,High seas, and High seas pockets;

• The bulk of IUU fishing occurs within EEZs and in particular within the

waters of FFA members by both licensed and unlicensed fishing vessels

• Creates significant constraint to PICTS aspirations and attempt to

sustainably manage their resources and provide food and nutrition security or fisheries income:

– Direct Economic impacts – Secondary economic loses – Social impacts – Environmental impacts

Challenges

• The responsibility of the coastal state to enforce the law within its EEZ is weak;
• Weak governance, insufficient financial resources, limited capacity, weak

enforcement of terms and conditions of licensing;

• Weak national legislations;
• The state of governance of a country correlate with IUU fishing;
• Failure of the control component of MCS, rather than a failure of surveillance;
• Illegal activities by licensed fishing vessels are usually seen as being different from

the unlicensed poaching;

• Licensed vessels are not generally regarded as pirates or poachers in the way that

unlicensed operators are;

• Lack of distinction between unreported data from fishing within EEZs and that

from fishing outside EEZs;

• Failure by States under basic obligations both in international law and under the

LOSC to utilize fish stocks in a sustainable manner; and,

• Failure of national MCS systems to deter illegal fishing through detection,

apprehension and the imposition of sanctions through the process of law.

Vanuatu’s Experience – “A Blessing in disguise”

Before – EU IUU Notification

• No fishing vessel registry
• No control over registration of foreign fishing vessel
• n Vanuatu international shipping registry
• Uncontrolled issuance of International Fishing

Authorisations and foreign fishing licenses;

• Gaps within National Legislation;
• National Tuna Management Plan very weak;
• Reporting performances to RFMOs (IATTC, ICCAT,

IOTC, SPRFMO, WCPFC) very poor;

• No Flag State VMS and FIMS;
• No IUU NPOA;
• No port and Inspection Scheme
• No control over high seas transhipment by flag

fishing vessels

• No data verification & control scheme
• No catch verification and documentation scheme
• Insufficient budget allocation
• Limited revenue collection
• No cooperation/collaboration between line agencies

After – EU IUU Notification

 Fishing vessel registry established  Control over registration of foreign fishing vessel on Vanuatu international shipping registry  Control over issuance of International Fishing Authorisations and foreign fishing licenses;  New National Fisheries Legislation;  National Tuna Management Plan revised;  Reporting performances to RFMOs (IATTC, ICCAT, IOTC, SPRFMO, WCPFC) improved;  New Flag State VMS and FIMS;  New IUU NPOA;  New port and Inspection measures  Control over high seas transhipment by flag fishing vessels  New data verification & control scheme established  Catch verification and documentation scheme  Budget allocation increased  Revenue collection increased  No cooperation/collaboration between line agencies

Change comes at a cost but tangible long term benefits

Areas where support would be needed

• Improve understanding of the EU IUU Regulations (costs, benefits and impacts for

failure to comply)

• Financial and capacity support to Improve MCS systems (including MCS platforms,

training, observers, VMS, management and control structures, catch reporting and accounting);

• Training and human resource development (inspectors, observers, negotiators and

legislators);

• Establish alliance with EU to combat IUU;
• Develop strategy to assist and sustain countries de-listed from the EU IUU

notification – “Yellow Card”/”Red Card”;

• Provide support to national governments through regional institions, like SPC and

FFA;

• Development assistance directed towards enhancing both individual country

fisheries management and MCS together with that of the region; and,

• Market/Trade controls and restrictions - through Port State Control or certification

schemes,

Ultimate Goal to Combat IUU

IUU Activities Controlled & Reduced

National Subregion Region

Thank you