Report | October 27, 2020
Amend the Public GFCM Authorised Vessel List to Strengthen Compliance and Transparency
Preventing public disclosure of information is a major impediment to achieving sustainable fisheries management and stringent fisheries enforcement. This problem is characterised by a lack of information on important elements of who is authorised to fish, where, when, how and what. Disclosure of information on the beneficial ownership of fishing vessels, and records of non-compliance of vessels or companies is also vitally important for improving accountability and assisting enforcement efforts. Lack of transparency on beneficial ownership or authorised vessel lists provides an excuse to flag and coastal states to evade their responsibility to enforce fisheries rules. Improving transparency and the accuracy and completeness of publicly accessible information is one of the most effective paths towards ending IUU fishing, and can expose and stop these activities.1 Creating up-to date, public and comprehensive authorised vessel lists that include information on beneficial ownership will remove the current veil of secrecy and ambiguity of who can fish where, when, and what, as well as who benefits.

