Roundup: FAO celebrates entry into force of first binding int'l treaty against illegal fishing

A special event was held at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) headquarters here on Monday to celebrate the first binding treaty tackling illegal fishing ever reached at global level, and its recent entry into force.

The Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA) resulted from a process that begun in 2009, when it was adopted by the FAO, and came into effect on June 5, 2016.

"The PSMA marks the dawn of a new era in the effort to combat illegal fishing," FAO Director-General Jose Graziano da Silva told representatives of the signatories at the awarding ceremony.

"Generations to come will recognize the importance of this achievement, your achievement," he added.

The FAO chief urged a rapid action to ensure the treaty is effectively implemented, which might be a challenging task for some nations, and especially developing countries and small island states.

"FAO is working to deliver immediate support to those countries that are most in need of it," Graziano da Silva stressed.

The PSMA provides a framework of binding measures for the signatory parties, and sets standards for inspecting foreign fishing vessels seeking to enter into another state's ports.

Such measures require fishing ships to request permission in advance, transmit detailed information on their identities, activities, and the fish they have on board.

Ships suspected of being involved in illegal fishing can be immediately denied entry into port, or allowed to enter for inspection only and refused permission to offload fish, refuel, or resupply.

The treaty obliges the parties to exchange all necessary information about illegal fishing vessels and their violations. Signatory parties are also requested to control their own fleets and their activities.

The treaty is now legally binding for 30 parties, including the European Union (EU) on behalf of all of its member states.

Countries owning some of the world's largest fleets, such as the United States, Indonesia, Chile (the most important fishery in South America), Thailand, as well as many island states, are included.

"We do not believe ratifying the PSMA alone is enough to stop illegal fishing, but it is definitely one step forward, and a very important one," the FAO chief told reporters in a recent meeting over the issue.

"In fact, the treaty does not only concern illegal fishing, but many other illegal activities that come along with it, including piracy, and trafficking of human beings," he said.

Illicit, unreported, and unregulated fishing (IUU) represents a serious threat under several points of view.

It is estimated to account for up to 26 billion tonnes of fish captured annually, which exceeds 15 percent of the world's total output of capture fisheries.

The amount of money the IUU siphons off is also huge, according to experts.

"The very nature of illegal fishing is difficult to address, yet its global economic impact is estimated to well exceed 20 billion U.S. dollars annually," Arni M. Mathiesen, FAO Assistant Director-General in the Fisheries and Aquaculture Department, explained to Xinhua.

However, progresses in tackling the phenomenon were registered in some areas even while the PSMA was waiting to enter into force, thanks to the policies launched or promoted by FAO.

"On a regional basis, we have seen some areas where IUU has basically disappeared, such as in the North Atlantic," Mathiesen said.

Illicit fishing activities include operating without proper authorization, catching protected species, using outlawed types of gear, and disregarding catch quotas.

Importantly, the PSMA obliges the parties to block vessels they suspects of being engaged in illicit fishing, thus preventing illegal catches from reaching local and international markets, FAO said.

Besides the economic damages, illegal fishing endangers the conservation and management of sea resources, the biodiversity of species, and, consequently, the food security in some countries.

Overall, it hampers the development of sustainable fishing models around the world, and this was another key target for the international treaty.

With the PSMA, members are provided "with an opportunity not only to combat illicit fishing, but to set a (responsible) fishery policy and avoid depleting the fish stocks," Graziano da Silva remarked. Endit