11 June 2014: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) Committee on Fisheries (COFI) endorsed the FAO Voluntary Guidelines for Flag State Performance at its 31st session. The Guidelines aim to prevent, deter and eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and to ensure the long-term conservation and sustainable use of living marine resources and marine ecosystems.

The Guidelines outline actions that countries can take to ensure that vessels registered under their flag do not engage in IUU fishing, including monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) activities, such as vessel monitoring systems (VMS) and observers. They promote information exchange and cooperation among countries so that flag states are in a position to refuse to register vessels that are “flag-hopping” by attempting to register with another flag state or to refuse vessels that have been reported for IUU fishing. The Guidelines include recommendations on how countries can encourage compliance and take action against non-compliance.

COFI’s endorsement of the Guidelines “represents a massive breakthrough in combating IUU fishing, which not only puts marine ecosystems at risk, but undermines any effort undertaken at the national, regional or international level to manage fisheries in a sustainable manner,” said Árni Mathiesen, FAO Assistant Director-General for Fisheries and Aquaculture. Mathiesen added that the Guidelines and “FAO’s 2009 Agreement on Port State Measures, which works to prevent entry into ports by IUU fishing vessels and therefore block the flow of IUU-caught fish into national and international markets,” will help to combat IUU fishing in the coming decades.

A flag state is defined as any country that registers a fishing vessel and authorizes the vessel to fly its flag. The guidelines draw on and refer to existing international instruments such as the 1995 FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries and the 2001 FAO International Plan of Action to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate IUU fishing.

COFI 31 is taking place in Rome, Italy from 9-13 June 2014. [FAO Press Release] [Publication: COFI/2014.4.2/Rev.1: The Voluntary Guidelines for Flag State Performance, the 2009 FAO Agreement on Port State Measures and Other Instruments Combatting IUU Fishing] [COFI Website]