Fishing Vessel Monitoring Systems: Past, Present and Future

VMS: Past, Present and Future 44
7.0 Comments and recommendations
To say that there are few doubters as to the value, actual and potential, of VMS
is an understatement. Nonetheless, a word of caution is necessary: VMS in and
of itself can never solve the problems of illegal fishing or weak fish stocks. It can
provide valuable assistance in solving those problems, but success will be the
result of rigorous planning and application of monitoring control and surveillance
schemes and fisheries management plans into which VMS makes a valuable
contribution.
Whilst this study touches on a broad range of issues, it is probably valid to make
a number of very fundamental recommendations that would reinforce VMS and,
by extension, MCS and fisheries management. Actions that would seem to be in
the interest of all parties include:
1. The agreement, at international level, of a “code of practice” for the
implementation and operation of VMS. This code would address the
issues touched upon in this study, entitled “best practice” (section 5.0)
2. The development of norms and standards for fishing vessel VMS
equipment, addressing issues of reliability and resistance to tampering.
These norms could form the basis for an international approach to type
approval of shipboard equipment.
3. The establishment of a research and development project aimed at
extensive analysis of VMS data in an effort to identify falsified VMS data.
Only when VMS data tools are broadly available to management
authorities will the detection of illegal fishing significantly advance. As
such research is costly and requires extensive resources, an international
project would provide the only viable framework.
4. The designation of an international authority or inter-governmental
organization to take the lead role in formalising requirements for shipboard
equipment, research and development of VMS capacities, and distribution
of data on an international level.
5. At the earliest possible opportunity, fisheries compliance agencies should
specify the Galileo navigation system as the principal or complementary
position calculation system in all of its VMS shipboard equipment.
Furthermore, these organizations should be encouraged to make best use
of the supplementary Galileo services that make undetected VMS
tampering all but impossible.