Support greater use of port and trade measures

Problem: Proactive use of port state controls can be an effective weapon against IUU fishing. Since at present port state jurisdiction is optional, some port states attract the business of IUU fishing vessels. Strengthening port state controls will deter IUU activities and improve enforcement.

• Options for excluding IUU products from supply chains and regulating investment sources
• Desk study on the potential for DNA-based methods to be used for the detection of illegal trade in fish from IUU

Project: Options for excluding IUU products from supply chains and regulating investment sources

Developing countries contribute more than 50% (in value) of international fish trade. Developed countries account for about 82% of the total value of imports of fish and fish products, with about 74% of the import value concentrated in three main areas: the EU, Japan and the United States. In such a big global trade illegal fishing and fish products pose a significant problem.

As a way of addressing this issue, Chatham House (Royal Institute of International Affairs) is currently coordinating a research study into policy options for reducing the extent of IUU fishing through actions which can be taken by consumer states; the countries of final destination of the products. This has three components:

•  Supply chain regulation

The main problem with excluding IUU products (IUU fishing products included) from consumer markets lies in the fact that they are impossible to distinguish from legal products, at least by simple inspection. A variety of mechanisms are available to isolate IUU from legal products, including certification and catch document schemes - but possibilities for the private sector to take action to control its own supply chains are only just beginning to be realised , and have not been much studied.

•  Domestic legislation

In many port states and consumer states, it may not be unlawful to import, sell or consume products produced illegally in foreign countries or on the high seas. In the US, the Lacey Act does make this activity illegal (as does similar legislation in a number of Pacific states), and there has been some interest in introducing legislation modelled on the Lacey Act into other countries.

•  Investment regulation

Consumer states may provide investment capital for activities which encourage IUU fishing - e.g. for fishing fleets or processing plants. Regulating these financial flows, whether from private or public financial institutions, may prove helpful in reducing the extent of these activities.

The role of consumer states in excluding illegal or otherwise undesirable products from world markets has attracted increasing attention in recent years. Similar activities to these three are identified under the EU's Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) initiative, designed to reduce illegal logging and the international trade in illegal timber and timber products. The Kimberley Process is an international certification scheme designed to exclude conflict diamonds from world markets. Where appropriate, lessons will be drawn from these policy areas.

Project: Desk study on the potential for DNA-based methods to be used for the detection of illegal trade in fish from IUU

A number of studies have shown that there is a substantial amount of IUU (illegal, unlicensed and unregulated) fishing, and that at least some of the catch enters into international trade. By its very nature, IUU fishing is difficult to detect and record and fish which enters trade from IUU is even more difficult to detect and trace as a false audit trail is likely to exist.

A number of DNA-based methods have the potential to reveal the species of fish and in some cases, even the population of that species. Methods such as "DNA fingerprinting" may allow those studying or regulating the trade in fish from IUU fishing. Such methods have proven to be sufficiently robust to be used as evidence in prosecution.

The aim of the study was to research a potential for diagnostic techniques for identifying IUU produce coming into the market.

Contact:
Tim Bostock, Department for International Development, United Kingdom.
Email: t-bostock@dfid.gov.uk

Partners :
United Kingdom, EU

Further information:
The potential for DNA-based methods to be used for the detection of illegal trade in fish from IUU