Report on the Implementation of the derogation to ... - Trade Websites

Final <strong>Report</strong>
RoO Derogation under the PACP-IEPA
Provided compliance with existing and new management measures is good, and current effort levels
in both the purse seine and longline fisheries can be reduced, the impact of derogation on stock
sustainability in the future is likely to continue to be minimal.
IUU fishing
Monitoring, control and surveillance (MSC) capability at the regional, sub-regional and, in the case of
PNG, national level is well developed and continues to strengthen. There is little evidence of IUU
fishing in the WCPO purse seine fishery, with most issues relating to in-zone infractions.
As tighter MCS controls are introduced and enhanced management measures adopted, pressure to
infringe, particularly with respect to closed high seas areas, time period closures and fishing method
restrictions may increase. This additional pressure on MCS schemes will be exacerbated by increased
pressure on relatively static raw material supplies, given WCPO catch levels are expected to remain
stable. Provided MSC activities continue to be well resourced and well coordinated across the
region according to agreed strategies, both within EEZs and on the high seas, any impacts of
derogation on IUU fishing should be limited.
A recent review indicated that PNG has effectively implemented the EU-IUU Fishing Regulation. This
additional requirement for EU market access has not limited the supply of compliant raw material
for processing in PNG plants, other than in the case of Vanuatu-flagged vessels.
SPS compliance
To date, global sourcing has had little or no direct impact on PNG processors, with adequate supplies
of originating fish to meet prior and current needs. Catches within archipelagic waters have been
close to 100,000 mt in recent years, while PNG’s canneries have required around 60,000-70,000 mt.
Also, the requirement for compliance of this supply with the EU’s Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS)
Regulation has not been a constraint thus far, with an adequate number of SPS-compliant vessels to
meet the necessary raw material supply.
In the short to medium term, as additional processing plants come on stream, global sourcing will
need to be exercised to a much greater degree for new plants to acquire sufficient SPS-compliant
raw material for processing and export to the EU. However, the issue may not be that the number
of vessels with SPS certification is inadequate, given that in 2010, over 750,000 mt of WCPO fish was
likely caught by vessels with SPS certificates. Rather, the issue may be the availability of SPS
compliant fish to PNG processors. Global sourcing notwithstanding, there is currently little to no
incentive for fleets to offload to PNG plants (existing or potential plants) if those vessels/fleets have
no links to PNG onshore investments. Even where vessels do have links to onshore plants,
significant quantities of fish are often transhipped and exported, rather than offloaded to processing
facilities. PNG will need to consider arrangements to guarantee supply to proposed future plants
(e.g. compulsory offloading a portion of catch by licensed vessels, in combination with preference
given to licensing SPS-compliant vessels to fish in PNG waters). The present requirements for vessels
fishing under existing arrangements to supply fish to onshore plants may need to be tightened up or
enforced.
A second SPS-related issue for PNG relates to the status of its Competent Authority (CA). Issues with
the CA itself and the certification of vessels and plants were identified by DG SANCO’s Food and
Veterinary Office in 2007 and 2008, and the CA was further examined in 2009. While best efforts
have made to rectify the deficiencies identified, it is still not certain if full compliance has been
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