Collaborating to eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated fishing in the Southern Ocean

The high-profile chase and sinking of the Thunder was just one of many important enforcement actions taken against vessels suspected of engaging in Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing this year. ASOC and COLTO commend the cooperation between states, organizations and NGOs that led to these successes. There are a number of additional ways that CCAMLR could enhance its ability to prevent IUU fishing and ensure compliance with CCAMLR conservation measures. These include: the development of enhanced procedures for tracking vessel movements; implementation of a modern, flexible and traceable Catch Documentation System (CDS) and adoption of additional measures for overseeing transshipments; participation in satellite enforcement initiatives; intensification of action on nationals of CCAMLR Members potentially involved in IUU fishing; and improvements in the effectiveness of the IUU vessel lists.