Mission Ocean

Presented by Global Ocean Commission

FishWise is working alongside North American companies, and their global network of suppliers, to improve the traceability and sustainability of seafood. By convening and connecting key stakeholders in the seafood industry to share lessons learned and establish best practices, FishWise is able to help create change on the water.

A Word from the Organisation

FishWise is pleased to see traceability, illegal fishing, and human rights highlighted in the Commission’s report. These areas are key to ensuring a long-term supply of seafood for future generations while protecting the livelihoods of fishers and fish farmers.

Associated Proposals

Proposal 4

Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing

Proposal 4

Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing

Setting IMO mandatory numbers for large fishing vessels, banning at-sea transshipment, ratifying and implementing international fisheries and labour treaties. Creating greater collaboration with industry and other stakeholders.

Proposal 4

Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing

Learn more about this proposal

Illegal fishing severely undermines all existing conservation and management measures in place for fish stocks. It costs the global economy between US$10 and US$23.5 billion a year, and is largely carried out by vessels from a handful of countries that do not adhere to or comply with international regulations.

Poor countries, which do not have the capacity to monitor their waters and whose vital resources diminish because of illegal pillage, are the worst affected. Illegal fishing is also linked to other forms of criminality as fishing vessels can also be used for smuggling people, drugs and weapons. The illegality of the practice needs to be established, the likelihood of being caught and sanctioned needs to be increased, and illegally caught fish must be prevented from entering markets.

In order to combat and end illegal fishing, the Global Ocean Commission is calling for:

  • All high seas fishing vessels to carry a unique identification number and transponders, in order to be internationally identifiable and tracked in real time;
  • The banning of at-sea transshipment of fish;
  • Countries to adhere to international regulations relating to port entry control (Port State Measures Agreement);
  • Countries should adhere and comply with regional fisheries organisations and arrangements for high seas fish stocks and monitor activities of their nationals and fishing vessels;
  • Regional fisheries organisations should share information on potential illegal activities with other organisations and with enforcement agencies, and maintain coordinated lists of suspected illegal fishing vessels;
  • Illegal fishing vessels should have their flags removed, be refused access to ports and not be allowed access to markets for the fish that they have caught;
  • Countries should monitor all fishing vessels entering their ports, and deny entry to suspected illegal operators and their catch;
  • Governments should collaborate with industry and affected stakeholders to create a global information-sharing platform able to monitor and exchange data on all fishing vessels movements in real time, and so deter IUU fishing;
  • Retailers should commit to sourcing sustainable seafood and adopting effective traceability schemes;
  • Civil society organisations should step-up in their role as independent watchdogs to ensure the application of international and regional regulations. Local, national, and international authorities should collaborate with such independent watchdogs.