August 2014: The Republic of Korea’s Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries has submitted the third review of its National Plan of Action (NPOA) to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO).

FAO’s International Plan of Action to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate IUU Fishing (IPOA-IUU) aims to address all types of IUU fishing activities and calls upon all States to develop and adopt NPOAs to achieve the IPOA’s objectives and to review NPOAs every four years, to promote global fisheries sustainability.

The Republic of Korea’s third NPOA incorporates lessons learned and concerns expressed by the international community. It addresses efforts to: rebuild governance structures to address IUU fishing; strengthen sanctions against IUU fishers; install mandatory vessel monitoring schemes (VMS) on all Korean distant water fishing vessels; enhance monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) through its port state inspection scheme; and strengthen cooperation with coastal developing States.

On governance, the NPOA notes that one factor in the Republic of Korea’s “sub-standard control over IUU fishing” was the lack of a robust governance framework. To address this situation, the country is working to facilitate inter-agency cooperation and information sharing, including with the Customs Service, and to engage with regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs), coastal states, market states, NGOs and others to collect and share information on IUU vessels and products.

On MCS, the NPOA states that the Republic of Korea’s MCS primarily covers catching and landing, but does not cover all parts of the fisheries chain. To implement a more robust MCS system, the Republic of Korea states its intention to strengthen cooperation with RFMOs and to expand its system to cover processing, wholesale and retail trades.

The NPOA outlines a number of additional actions to address IUU fishing in the Republic of Korea and by its vessels, including: strengthening its on-board observer program; doubling the number of observers to strengthen monitoring and implementation of the Total Allowable Catch (TAC) system; and closer collaboration between the Republic of Korea and West African coastal states, where compliance risks are high. [Publication: Republic of Korea NPOA-IUU] [FAO IPOA-IUU Website]