Description
The control of illegal fishing is being undertaken at international level. The Committee on Fisheries (COFI) of the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has launched an international action plan prepared within the framework of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries. This action plan was endorsed by the FAO Council on 23 June 2001. The European Community (EC) has played an active role in drawing up this international action plan to prevent, deter and eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. Within the framework of the common fisheries policy (CFP), the EC will adopt the necessary measures to implement the action plan agreed at international level.
To control illegal fishing, the Commission is proposing to implement measures at Community and international level and in the context of regional fisheries organisations. These come in the form of 15 actions:
Action 1: State control over nationals
Action 2: Defining procedures for the implementation of arrangements approved at international level relating to the sustainability of fish stocks
Action 3: Control of activities associated with IUU fishing
Action 4: Alerting the fishing industry, consumers and the general public to the need to control IUU fishing
Action 5: Development of framework plans for control and inspection within each regional fisheries organisation
Action 6: Regulation of certain fishing activities on the high seas
Action 7: Identification and monitoring of IUU vessels
Action 8: Promoting uniform action plans to curb illegal fishing
Action 9: Identifying and quantifying illegal catches
Action 10: Notification and Documentation
Action 11: Improvement of information concerning fishing vessels
Action 12: Improving international cooperation.
Action 13: Definition of a substantive link between a State and a vessel
Action 14: Definition of rights and responsibilities of port states
Action 15: Assistance for developing countries to control unlawful fishing
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