E - Iccat

ICCAT REPORT 2012-2013 (I)
recommendation by Japan and the United States. The draft Recommendation specifies there will be a workshop
held in conjunction with the next IMM Working Group meeting in 2013 to address technical and practical issues
on catch certification schemes for tuna and tuna-like species. The document also proposes another IMM
Working Group meeting in 2014 to review the draft recommendation on catch certification from the 7th IMM
Working Group and consider results of the 2013 workshop. The Recommendation by ICCAT on a Process
Towards the Establishment of a Catch Certification Scheme for Tuna and Tuna-like Species was approved by the
PWG and forwarded to the Commission for final adoption (see ANNEX 5 [Rec. 12-09]).
5.3 At-sea and in-port transshipment requirements
The Chair referred to the “Draft Recommendation by ICCAT on a Program for Transshipment”, proposed by the
United States. The U.S. recalled the most recent update had been in 2006, as the planned 2008 review of at-sea
transshipment never occurred. The issue was sent to the IMM Working Group meeting, where progress was
made. After further discussions during this meeting, the U.S. removed a proposal to increase coverage of
observers on longline vessels based on concerns from other CPCs, but noted this is still an important issue and
the observer program as a whole will be reviewed, and the issue should be taken up again in that context. The
Recommendation by ICCAT on a Programme for Transhipment was adopted with the deletions requested by
Japan on providing copies of authorization to observers and forwarded to the Commission for final adoption (see
ANNEX 5 [Rec. 12-06]).
5.4 Rules for chartering
The Chair referred to the Recommendation by ICCAT on Access Agreements [Rec. 11-16], and the Secretariat’s
document on a “Summary of Access Agreements Reported by CPCs” to which the EU put out an appeal that all
coastal countries clarify to ICCAT the conditions for issuing licenses for access to coastal waters, for state-tostate
and in particular private licenses. The EU noted many countries currently issue license under unclear
conditions, and the issue concerns species managed by ICCAT, therefore requested Contracting Parties to apply
fully Recommendation 11-16, to cover both official and private agreements. The EU also expressed the need to
discuss the revision of the “Recommendation by ICCAT on Vessel Chartering” [Rec. 02-21] at the next meeting
of the IMM Working Group in 2013.
5.5 At-sea vessel sighting and inspection programs
The Chair referred to a 2008 HSBI proposal from Canada, which the IMM Working Group was asked during its
last inter-sessional meeting to revise and define at-sea inspection rules. The EU asked that this request be
renewed and ICCAT place this item on the agenda of a future IMM Working Group meeting in 2013. The EU
recalled a negative experience of an inspection of an EU vessel under uncertain circumstances, and highlighted
the urgent need to define rules of how at-sea inspections are to take place. The United States expressed support
for such a discussion, noting this is a monitoring and control issue that has not been well elaborated on by
ICCAT, and is about 35 years old, so discussing it during an inter-sessional meeting and returning to the issue
next year will be useful. The PWG accepted at-sea inspection rules be added to a 2013 IMM Working Group
Agenda and discussed further next year, with no additional comments.
5.6 Port Inspection Schemes and Port State measures
The Chair referred to the “Draft Recommendation by ICCAT for an ICCAT Scheme for Minimum Standards for
Inspection in Port” proposed by the EU, Norway, and the United States. At the 2011 annual Commission
meeting, the PWG tasked the IMM Working Group with developing a draft proposal on port State measures
(PSM) as the Recommendation currently in place had become obsolete, and had some significant unresolved
issues. The draft proposal submitted by the IMM Working Group took parts of the FAO 2009 plan of action on
port State measures acceptable to CPCs, to develop minimum standards and modernize port state measures and
strengthen the existing port inspection scheme. The aforementioned draft recommendation expands what was in
the original proposal from the IMM Working Group to clarify the Recommendation does not prejudice the rights
of CPCs within their own ports, including their ability to take more stringent measures if deemed necessary, and
allows harmonization with relevant international law. The draft Recommendation specifies a 72 hour notification
period before the arrival of a foreign fishing vessel to the port of a CPC, but allows CPCs to specify a longer or
shorter notification period based on their needs. The document also recommends inspection of at least 5% of
landing and transshipment operations, but CPCs may inspect more than this in their ports should they wish. The
proposal also clarifies rules on entry to port and selection of vessels to be inspected, and provides a procedure for
conducting port inspections, and a procedure for cases in which an infraction is detected. It also recognizes the
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