“A breakthrough in combating illegal fishing”

1 May 2007 will stand as a milestone in combating illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing in the North-East Atlantic. That is the day the North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC) introduces the new port-state control regime.

“This is a breakthrough in combating illegal fishing in our maritime areas. Port-state control of fisheries will give us a far better overview of the total volume of fish removed. Henceforth it will be difficult for vessels engaging in illegal fishing to land their booty,” says the Minister of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs, Helga Pedersen.

The system includes the entire EU, Russia, Iceland, Greenland, the Faroe Islands and Norway. For foreign vessels to land frozen fish in these countries’ ports, all parties will have to follow an elaborate procedure.

When the vessel sends prior notification of a landing, the flag state must confirm to the port state that:
- the vessel in question has a sufficient quota for the catch
- the catch has been reported to the flag state for quota settlement
- the vessel has a licence to fish in the area in question
- its fishing activity agrees with the flag state’s satellite tracking data

Without such confirmation, frozen fish may not be landed. NEAFC has set up databases to keep information for the use of the organization and member countries.

“It is good news that the North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission, including Russia and the EU, has endorsed the agreement on port-state control. A major effort has now started to implement an extensive system in all the countries where this applies,” says Pedersen.

Following a proposal from Norway, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has decided to study a global regime for port-state control of fisheries.

Contact person: Senior Adviser Hans Olav Stensli, tel. +47 900 23 418