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Final <strong>Report</strong>
RoO Derogation under the PACP-IEPA
5.5 IUU Fishing
5.5.1 Incidence of IUU fishing in WCPO
The work of Agnew et al. (2009), in estimating the worldwide extent of illegal fishing, is widely
quoted in efforts to estimate the incidence of IUU fishing in the WCPO. 194 For the years 1980-2003,
they estimated the average IUU catch in the WCPO at between 786,000 mt and 1,730,000 mt,
valued between US $707 million and US $1,557 million. However, this was for all fisheries, including
tunas, and included much data from South-East Asian coastal states, with more limited data from
the wider WCPO. The study in fact concluded that, since the advent of RFMOs, IUU fishing for tunas
now largely involves not illegal, but rather unreported (i.e. non-reporting of catches by flag states) or
unregulated (i.e. flag state not party to the relevant RFMO) fishing, and that globally, the proportion
of illegal catch of tunas, bonitos and billfishes is generally very low (< 5% globally). They further
opine that in the WCPO, “the bulk of IUU (tuna) fishing (albeit at low levels) probably occurs within
EEZs and, in particular, within the waters of FFA member countries”. It thus comes under the direct
control of FFA MCS activities which have strengthened considerably since that time (2003).
Other claims of widespread IUU fishing in the region, often referring to or implicating tuna fishing,
have been made since that time,
195 but are rarely accompanied by any solid evidence, and it is hard
to judge their accuracy or credibility. It is also likely that the incidence of IUU fishing has declined
further since the time of the global study - the last year covered by the study (2003) precedes the
establishment of the WCPFC, which has since instituted a range of MCS measures to combat IUU
fishing (e.g. Register of Fishing Vessels (RFV), IUU vessel lists for vessels not in good standing,
extensive VMS coverage of high seas (and EEZs by FFA), very high recent observer coverage, recent
high seas closures etc., as well as MCS activities at the national and sub-regional level). There are
also ongoing international efforts within the Kobe process and amongst RFMOs to harmonize IUU
vessel listing procedures and to cross-list IUU vessels. 196 The range of measures currently continues
to evolve and is complex, as to be expected for multi-gear/multi-species fishery operating over a
vast area, and accounting for half of the global catch of primary market species of tuna. This
complexity will continue to be refined but solid progress has been made in the brief operational
period of this the newest RFMO, relative to other RFMOs (e.g. IOTC, ICCAT) which have been
established for a much longer period of time.
IUU fishing by purse seine vessels in the region is, on the basis of available evidence, not believed to
be significant, with a high level of compliance by vessels operating in the region, and with most of
the catch taken in the EEZs of coastal states, notably since the closure of large areas of high seas
pockets in 2010. Longline tuna vessels, on the other hand, are seen as representing a problem in the
197
WCPO, as they take most of their catch on the high seas and may not be licensed under access
agreements or be on the WCPFC RFV, as required. The extent of IUU fishing by longline vessels is not
known, but attempts are underway to regulate that fishery in the same way as the purse seine
fishery is regulated (i.e. though a longline vessel days scheme (LVDS) currently under trial).
The WCPFC IUU vessel list for 2011 (Dec 2010) includes only five vessels, two of which were listed
during 2010; none of the listed vessels are purse seine vessels. There has been no trend in the
number of vessels on this list, which has been uniformly low (6 in Dec 2007, 3 in Dec 2008). One view
194 See FFA Regional Monitoring, Control and Surveillance Strategy, 2010-2015, p.1 (http://www.ffa.int/mcsstrategy).
195 At the opening of the 2011 Forum Investment Summit (7 September 2011), NZ Foreign Minister, Murray
McCully claimed that USD 400 million is being lost “in the Pacific” to illegal fishing activities every year.
196 WCFPC 2011f.
197 Banks 2011.
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