Asia-Pacific Fishery Commission

llegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing is a serious global problem. Recent reports put the worldwide value of IUU catches at between $4bn and $9bn per year, including at least $1bn/yr for sub-Saharan Africa. IUU fishing does not respect national boundaries. It puts unsustainable pressure on fish stocks, marine wildlife and habitats, undermines labour standards and distorts markets. It imposes significant economic costs on some of the poorest countries in the world and undermines the governance structures. There are enormous societal pressures linked to these economic costs. Everyone is affected by IUU fishing, even if they don

The purpose of this site is to provide background information on the key issues in the debate around illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, together with news stories, information on events, key documents and links to other relevant websites.

The site contains some useful background documents for nayone interested in reading up on the issues related to IUU fishing.

This site is maintained by the Energy, Environment and Development Programme of Chatham House in London, with funding from the UK Department for International Development.

The rise in illegal activities that has accompanied globalization underscores the need for cooperative law enforcement across national borders. Realizing this need a commitment to form what would become the MCS Network was made at an international conference sponsored by Chile in 2000.

The MCS Network was established to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of fisheries-related MCS activities through enhanced cooperation, coordination, information collection and exchange among national governmental organizations and institutions responsible for fisheries related monitoring, control and surveillance.

The website contains the Technical Terms of Reference outline the MCS Network

The Network was established to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of fisheries-related MCS activities through enhanced cooperation, coordination, information collection and exchange among national organizations and institutions responsible for fisheries-related monitoring, control and surveillance. . The MCS Network is an arrangement of national organizations/institutions in charge of fisheries-related MCS activities on behalf of their governments. Participation in the MCS Network is voluntary and encouraged but limited to representatives from national government organizations. Members conduct fisheries-related MCS activities in their home waters, as well as on the high seas, and seek to increase global coordination to prevent, deter and eliminate IUU fishing. I

The Task Force was established in 2003 by a small group of fisheries ministers and international NGOs who decided to work together to develop an action plan designed to combat illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing on the high seas. The work of the Task Force identified nine practical initiatives necessary to expose IUU fishing activities, deter them and improve enforcement against those responsible. The initiatives were set out in the final report of the Task Force.

The work of the Task Force is now completed but its members, together with new partners, carry on working towards putting the proposals into action. To read more about the structure of the High Seas Task Force and its methodology and work, click here.

This website describes the work done by the High Seas Task Force and new partners in implementing proposals and recommendations to close the net on the modern-day fisheries pirates.

The Tokyo MOU is an inter-governmental co-operative organization on port State control (PSC) in the Asia-Pacific region.

Its vision is to eliminate substandard shipping in the Asia-Pacific region.

Its mission is to promote the effective implementation, and the universal and uniform application, of relevant IMO/ILO instruments on ships operating in the region.

The Tokyo MOU consists of:
18 member Authorities: Australia, Canada, Chile, China, Fiji, Hong Kong (China), Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, the Russian Federation, Singapore, Thailand, Vanuatu and Viet Nam;

2 co-operating member Authorities: the Marshall Islands and Peru;

4 observer Authorities: Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Macao (China), Solomon Islands and United States Coast Guard; and

6 observer organizations: the International Maritime Organiza­tion (IMO), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Paris MOU, the Viña del Mar Agreement, the Indian Ocean MOU and the Black Sea MOU.