Fill critical gaps in scientific knowledge and assessment

Problem: Estimating the magnitude of IUU fishing is a significant problem. Poor, inaccurate or non-existing reporting of IUU catches and by-catch significantly degrades the accuracy of assessments of the impact of all fishing activities.

Project: IUU Monitoring Programme

The High Seas Task Force has acknowledged that part of the difficulty in combating IUU fishing is in understanding it - where it is taking place, what types of IUU activity are most important, who is doing it, why, and what is the magnitude of the problem?

There is currently no single, global view of the size and distribution of IUU fishing activity, although there are a number of country- and region- specific initiatives. An ability to track the development of IUU fishing on a global scale will be important in understanding whether these initiatives are having an effect on IUU fishing, or simply changing its nature and distribution.

Following the Closing the Net Report, it has been proposed to create a network of organisations and institutions that are interested in monitoring IUU fishing and to provide them with a forum and structure within which to create a periodic Global IUU Report. The IUU fishing data gathered by the network will come from both existing and new studies with the aim to produce a first global report in early 2008. The project is managed by the Marine Resources Assessment Group (MRAG, UK).

This project will improve global ability to assess the economic and environmental impact of IUU fishing on fish stocks. Following delivery of the first IUU network global report, the current proposal is that the network will become part of the existing MCS Network which acts as an information and training resource for fisheries enforcement officers all over the world

The starting point for the IUU network project was a workshop in November 2006 in London, which discussed the methods for monitoring IUU fishing and the objectives and modalities of operation of an IUU Monitoring Network. The deliverables will include a global IUU report (late 2007 / early 2008) and a functioning network whose coordination could be transferable to and continued by the MCS Network.

Contact :
David Agnew, Marine Resources Assessment Group (MRAG Ltd), London, United Kingdom.
Email: d.agnew@mrag.co.uk

International Partners cooperation (UK funded Network):
United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, WWF.

Further information:
Monitoring Global IUU Fishing: Analysis and Monitoring through an IUU Tracking Network