| Belgium. Commission welcomes major new instrument to fight illegal fishing in the Antarctic |
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| Friday, 10 November 2006 | |
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Fisheries news: The European Commission welcomes the measures recently adopted by the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Living Marine Resources (CCAMLR) in Hobart, Australia, to fight illegal fishing in the CCAMLR area. CCAMLR Members will now have to investigate and where appropriate take action against any of their nationals suspected of engaging in illegal fishing activities within the area managed by CCAMLR. The scheme is not limited to the capture phase, but covers the whole chain of fishing activity, including transhipment, transport and marketing. Members must cooperate with one another in providing information that is necessary for successful investigations, and must provide timely reports to the CCAMLR secretariat on any actions they have taken under the scheme. The measure was proposed by the European Union, and adopted by consensus. Joe Borg Commissioner for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs commented, "This decision in CCAMLR represents a major step forward in fighting illegal fishing activities in the Antarctic. I am delighted that by agreeing to our proposal CCAMLR members have demonstrated that regional fisheries management organisations are capable of taking truly effective and compulsory governance measures." This is the first time a Regional Fisheries Management Organisation has adopted such a comprehensive measure that is binding upon all of its Members. The scheme commits CCAMLR Members to acting against their nationals who are suspected of involvement in Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) activities at any stage of the fisheries supply chain. The term 'national' includes both natural persons (individuals) and legal persons (companies) subject to the legal jurisdiction of a CCAMLR Member. While Flag States remain obliged to act against vessels operating under their flags, the scheme provides all Members with both an international obligation and an effective legal basis for action against their nationals who may be operating under so-called 'flags of convenience'. Members are also obliged to build up a cooperation framework for the exchange of all possible information on persons or companies which are allegedly involved in IUU activities so that exhaustive investigations may be conducted. CCAMLR Members will have to transpose the new scheme into their national legislation by 1 July 2008 at the latest. CCAMLR is the Regional Fisheries Management Organisation responsible for the conservation and responsible harvesting of living marine resources in the waters around Antarctica. It currently has 24 members, including the European Union, and 8 EU Member States (Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom). |
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| Last Updated ( Friday, 10 November 2006 ) |
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