The Technical Consultation to draft a legally-binding instrument on port State measures to prevent, deter and eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing took place at UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) headquarters in Rome, Italy, from 26-30 January 2009.

The meeting, which was chaired by Fabio Hazim (Brazil), brought together representatives from over 60 States and put in place the general outlines for an international agreement or treaty on “port State measures” that would deny vessels engaged in IUU fishing access to fishing ports. According to the draft elements of the treaty, fishing vessels that wish to land will be required to request permission from specially designated ports ahead of time, transmitting information on their activities and the fish they have on board, thereby providing authorities an opportunity to assess and detect possible illegalities prior to docking. In addition, information-sharing networks will enable countries to deny port access to any vessel previously reported as involved in IUU fishing by other agreement participants or by regional fisheries management organizations. Final details of the agreement will be laid out in a future round of talks, whose date has yet to be determined.
Link to further information
FAO press release, 3 February 2009