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| International Plan of Action on Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing | |
|---|---|
| Name | International Plan of Action on Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing |
| Date adopted | 2001 |
| Adopted by | Food and Agriculture Organization |
| Type | voluntary instrument |
| Subject | Fisheries management, Maritime law |
| Languages | English language, French language, Spanish language |
International Plan of Action on Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing is a voluntary instrument developed under the auspices of the Food and Agriculture Organization and adopted in 2001 at the Rome headquarters during meetings involving representatives from United Nations Member States, Regional Fisheries Management Organizations, and civil society organizations such as Greenpeace and the World Wildlife Fund. The instrument addresses Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated fishing activities affecting high seas and coastal fisheries in contexts involving flag States, port States, coastal States, and International Maritime Organization regimes. It builds on earlier multilateral processes including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries.
The plan emerged amid growing concern among actors such as the European Union, United States, Japan, and Australia about depletion of stocks like Bluefin tuna, Atlantic cod, and Patagonian toothfish due to activities linked to vessel reflagging and transshipment at sea. Negotiations drew on scientific assessments by institutions including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's fisheries adjuncts, regional studies by the North Atlantic Fisheries Organization, and legal analyses influenced by rulings from the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea. Stakeholders from Norway, Iceland, Peru, and developing coastal States such as Senegal and Philippines contributed to shaping provisions addressing flag State responsibility, port State measures, and data reporting.
The primary objective is to combat Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated fishing through voluntary national plans, aligning with principles espoused by the United Nations and regional bodies like the Food and Agriculture Organization. It emphasizes flag State duties under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the precautionary approach endorsed by the World Trade Organization-adjacent policy debates, and transparency consistent with standards from the International Labour Organization and Convention on Biological Diversity. The plan advances stewardship goals for stocks managed by organizations such as the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources and promotes compliance with market measures observed by the European Commission.
Adopted measures encourage flag State control, mandatory vessel registration akin to protocols used by the International Maritime Organization, and implementation of observer schemes practiced by the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources and the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission. The plan recommends use of technologies including Automatic Identification System equipment, vessel monitoring systems similar to those mandated by the North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission, and electronic catch documentation schemes modeled after initiatives from the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. It also encourages use of port State measures comparable to those later codified in the Agreement on Port State Measures.
Implementation relies on coordination among entities such as Regional Fisheries Management Organizations, the North Atlantic Fisheries Organization, the International Maritime Organization, the European Union, the United States, China, and South Africa. Bilateral agreements—like memoranda between Chile and New Zealand or collaboration among Small Island Developing States in the Pacific Islands Forum—inform information-sharing systems and joint patrols. Nongovernmental organizations including Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and Oceana have partnered with States on surveillance, while multilateral financing from institutions like the World Bank and the Global Environment Facility supports capacity-building in countries such as Mozambique and Indonesia.
The plan promotes monitoring through national reporting, observer coverage, satellite surveillance technologies used by European Space Agency-backed programs, and compliance review mechanisms modeled after frameworks in the International Labour Organization. Enforcement tools include port denial, license revocation used by Iceland and Norway, and trade measures similar to those employed by the European Union against flagged products. Collaboration with enforcement agencies such as Interpol and coast guards from Australia and United States Coast Guard has enabled coordinated interdictions and prosecutions under domestic fisheries laws like those enacted by Canada and South Africa.
The plan influenced the development of binding instruments, notably the Agreement on Port State Measures, and strengthened practices within Regional Fisheries Management Organizations such as the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas and the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources. Case studies from Peru's anchoveta fishery and Namibia's hake management show improvements in reporting and vessel traceability, while market-based systems in the European Union and Japan improved chain-of-custody for species like Atlantic bluefin tuna. However, effectiveness has varied across regions with disparities between well-resourced States like United States and resource-limited States in West Africa.
Critics from academic institutions such as University of British Columbia and NGOs like Friends of the Earth argue the plan’s voluntary nature limits enforceability compared with binding treaties, citing persistent IUU fishing incidents in areas monitored by Regional Fisheries Management Organizations with limited compliance. Challenges include flag State non-cooperation illustrated by documented reflagging in the Indian Ocean, insufficient observer safety problems highlighted by cases in the South Pacific, and technological gaps in States lacking capacity, notably in Small Island Developing States. Geopolitical tensions among major fishing powers including China, European Union, and United States complicate consensus on trade measures and data-sharing, while climate-driven stock shifts examined by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports add pressure to regional governance arrangements.
Category:Fishing law