IUU Fisheries – Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated, but not Unstoppable

Glenn SantFisheries Trade Programme Leader, TRAFFIC

Symposium on Combating Wildlife Crime:Securing Enforcement, Ensuring Justice and Upholding the Rule of Law

What is IUU fishing?

The FAO International Plan of Action to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing (the IPOA-IUU Fishing)

Illegal Fishing1.A State/entity has national regulations not adhered to by national vessels fishing either in national waters or on the high seas where they apply.2.Foreign flagged vessel, authorised to fish in the waters of another State/entity, fails to adhere to conditions imposed by that State/entity.3.A foreign flagged vessel fishes, without authorisation, in the waters of another State.4.On the high seas where there are RFMO management measures and a vessel of a member of that RFMO contravenes the measures.

Unreported – where a vessel in any of the situations above fails to report or missreports its catch.

Unregulated •In a high seas area with RFMO measures and a vessel, without flag or flying the flag of a non-member of that RFMO fishes in direct contravention of measures•A vessel fishes in an area where there are no applicable conservation or management measures but where such activity is inconsistent with State responsibilities for the conservation of living marine resources under international law (e.g. the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of (10 December 1982 (UNCLOS)1 (Unregulated Fishing).

FAO catch data identifying approximately 1600 taxa. The number of marine species fished and in international trade 1000’s.

2001 Global review of trade in Patagonian toothfish

Findings:• IUU catch 50% of PTF trade• 4 times amount estimated by

management body (CCAMLR)• Catch document scheme already in

place but demonstrated need to improve• Identified 11 IUU countries• Identified problems with data to be

resolved

Humphead Wrasse

•Listed on Appendix II CITES•Trade restricted to live specimens by plane due to illegal transport by vessels.•Fishing with Cyanide illegal in some countries•10s of 1000’s traded illegally each year

Does Crime Pay?IUU fishing $29 Billion/year

•Difficult to detect illegal products mixed with legitimate•EU and USA IUU Regulations•Port State Agreement•INTERPOL Project Scale •Many RFMO’s have no penalties•IUU vessel lists•Fines/Imprisonment•Confiscation sale/burning vessels

Need•Greater penalties as a deterrent•Transparency/Traceability of products

IUU Fisheries – Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated, but not Unstoppable

Glenn SantFisheries Trade Programme Leader, TRAFFIC

Symposium on Combating Wildlife Crime:Securing Enforcement, Ensuring Justice and Upholding the Rule of Law