Reeling in Illicit Fishing

（单词翻译）

Reeling in Illicit¹ Fishing

It’s estimated that illicit fishing accounts for up 26 million tons of seafood² a year and costs the global economy as much as 26 billion dollars annually³. An international agreement to help curb⁴ the problem is gaining support, but still needs more backers before it can take effect.

Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing – or IUU – not only causes economic damage, but is a threat to food security and biodiversity.

The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization says IUU encompasses⁵ fishing without authorization⁶, harvesting protected species, using outlawed⁷ fishing gear and violating quota⁸ limits. It accounts for over 15 percent of the global seafood take.

Dr. Matthew Camilleri, of the FAO’s Fisheries and Aquaculture Policy and Economics Division in Rome, said the problem ranges from big fishing vessels¹⁰ on the high seas to small-scale coastal¹¹ operations.

“Illegal fishing could be that vessels are fishing in areas where fishing is prohibited because there are fragile ecosystems¹², which can be affected¹³ by fishing activities – or fishing is taking place using fishing gear which is prohibited or the dimensions of the gear are not in line with the regulations that have been set. So, hook sizes may be too small or mesh¹⁴ sizes may be too small, for example.”

He said unreported and under-reported fishing are also widespread.

“Fishing vessels just fail to report on their catches through log books, for example or through electronic systems that are in place. Or they are not reporting on their actual location. So, there are many kinds of infringements¹⁵ that could be associated with illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.”

Camilleri said the illicit practices endanger fish stocks.

“When we say endangered, not in the sense of endangered as being on the verge¹⁶ of extinction¹⁷, but endangered in the sense that there are stocks which could be over fished. This means that there’s going to be fewer and fewer fish available to be caught by the good fishers and, therefore, less availability for future generations,” he said.

Whether fish are caught legally or illegally, they have to be brought to some port to be unloaded and sold. And a port is a good place for inspection¹⁸ to take place.

In 2009, FAO member countries adopted the Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent, Deter¹⁹ and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing.

Camilleri said, “The agreement lays down a minimum set of procedures that every port state must follow when accepting foreign fishing vessels coming into their port. There’s a checklist that every state must follow when a foreign fishing vessel⁹ requests entry into port, first and foremost. It is like when an individual is traveling to another country. In some cases you request a visa.”

The agreement outlines what types of inspections²⁰ would be conducted to ensure the catch is legal.

“The agreement goes further in saying that every port state, that is, every country that is accepting foreign vessels into their countries must designate their ports. They must specify²¹ in which ports foreign vessels are allowed in. And in those ports there should be the procedures – at least the minimum procedures – defined by the agreement, which need to be implemented,” said Camilleri.

Efforts outside of ports can include satellite monitoring of fishing vessel movements, as well as sea patrols in fishing zones.

To take effect, the agreement needs to be approved by 25 countries. Twelve already have done so, including the European Union, which actually counts as a single country. Two more are expected to join soon. In the United States, the process to join the agreement is reported moving forward.