Medidas de Gestao das Pescarias Marinhas e Aquicultura 2019 The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2018 | Page 114

PART 2 FAO FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE IN ACTION
management, such as ensuring the consistent
marking of fishing gear, can also be useful in the
fight against IUU fishing.
and exchange of information on fishing activity.
These complex issues cannot be properly
addressed in the absence of mandated regional
fishery bodies or arrangements, and they may be
exacerbated by climate change (see “Climate
change impacts and responses” in Part 3). n
Important achievements in the fight against IUU
fishing include the development and adoption of
international g uidelines to improve f lag States’
compliance with their duties and to promote the
use of catch documentation schemes (CDSs) for
better traceabilit y of fish and fish products in the
value chain; the global and regional development
of fishing vessel records; and – since fishing
vessels also depend on the use of ports in States
other than their own – the adoption of the FAO
Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent,
Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and
Unreg ulated Fishing (PSM A).
COMBATING ILLEGAL,
UNREPORTED AND
UNREGULATED FISHING:
GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
The promotion, reg ulation and monitoring of
responsible fishing practices, through robust
fisheries management and governance
frameworks, are essential for the sustainabilit y of
fisheries resources in both coastal areas and high
seas. The principles of responsible fisheries
management have been prescribed in a number of
international ocean and fisheries instruments
and have been supported and strengthened by
R FMOs around the globe. However, States do not
always satisfactorily fulfil their duties in line
with such instruments and regional mechanisms,
and IUU fishing often occurs, undermining
national, regional and global efforts to manage
fisheries sustainably.
The SDGs address the importance of tackling
IUU fishing under SDG 14. Target 14.4 explicitly
identifies the need to end IUU fishing as a means
for restoring fish stocks, while target 14.6
includes the elimination of subsidies that
contribute to IUU fishing. Additionally, the fight
against IUU fishing, although not specifically
mentioned, has a major role in achieving targets
14.7 (increasing economic benefits to SIDSs and
least developed countries) and 14.b (safeg uarding
access to marine resources for small-scale
fishers). Furthermore, target 14.c, on
implementing international law as ref lected in
UNCLOS, particularly in relation to duties of
States for the conser vation and sustainable use of
oceans and marine ecosystems, is also relevant
for the fight against IUU fishing.
The international community, recognizing IUU
fishing as a major threat to the sustainability of
fisheries resources, to the livelihoods of the
people that depend on them and to marine
ecosystems in general, has addressed it
extensively over the past decade. It is not enough
for States to detect IUU fishing; they must
strengthen fisheries laws and regulations, be able
to take effective action against perpetrators to
deter non-compliance, establish mechanisms that
encourage compliance and ensure that subsidies
or any other benefits that they grant to their
fishing sectors do not nurture IUU fishing. While
innovations in technolog y have enabled States to
monitor their fishing fleets better and to
safeguard their fisheries resources, there is a
need to improve flag State performance and to
implement port State measures, supported by the
use of monitoring, control and surveillance
mechanisms and tools. In addition,
strengthening other areas of fisheries
Implementation of the Port State Measures
Agreement
The PSMA (FAO, 2017j) sets conditions for the
entry and use of ports by foreign fishing vessels. It
defines minimum international standards to be
applied by port States in reviewing information
prior to the vessels’ entry into port; conducting
inspections in their designated ports; taking
measures against vessels found to have engaged in
IUU fishing; and exchanging information with
concerned States, RFMOs and other international
entities. The global implementation of the PSMA
would effectively establish “compliance check-
points” at ports around the world for a large
number of fishing vessels, especially those that
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