Report | October 24, 2019
Ending Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing
Background
In combatting illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, what does good governance in fisheries look like? The Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF), Oceana, The Nature Conservancy, The Pew Charitable Trusts and WWF (the EU IUU Coalition) are working together with the aim of improving global fisheries transparency and governance to end IUU fishing. With this purpose, we sought to answer this question, developing a detailed set of criteria directed at national governments to assist them in improving transparency and achieving good governance in fisheries.
The criteria have been assembled based on international flag, coastal, port and market State obligations, as well as best practices that countries have incorporated into their national legal systems and institutional frameworks. The EU IUU Coalition has also drawn from the decade-long experience of the implementation of the European Union’s Regulation to prevent, deter and eliminate IUU fishing (the EU IUU Regulation), and its carding scheme to identify or pre-identify non-EU countries as non-cooperating in the fight against IUU fishing.1 Proposed actions included in these criteria are in line with those meant to address the most commonly cited shortcomings in the fisheries governance systems of non-EU countries identified through this scheme.2 Recognising also the vitally important role that transparency within the global fishing sector can have in tackling IUU fishing, the criteria have been complemented and further strengthened with specific recommendations aimed at increasing transparency. These recommendations have been adapted from countries’ best practices, the Fisheries Transparency Initiative (FiTI) Standard, relevant Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) instruments including the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, and other stakeholder campaigns such as EJF’s Transparency Charter among others.
This analysis has led to the selection of 30 transparency and good governance criteria divided into four categories: flag and coastal State responsibilities; port, processing and market State responsibilities; legal framework; and collaborative action.
