Illegal trawler. (Photo: Stock File)

EFJ praises EU's measures against IUU

THAILAND
Wednesday, April 22, 2015, 02:30 (GMT + 9)

The Environmental Justice Foundation (EFJ) welcomes the European Union’s decision to withdraw South Korea from the list of countries that do not take the necessary measures to prevent, deter and eradicate pirate fishing in addition to sending warnings to Thailand for failure to show signs of working on this issue.

“Korea’s efforts to stop illegal fishing are unprecedented in the region and demonstrate a clear intent to deliver national and international leadership to combat IUU fishing which devastates marine environments, biodiversity, fish stocks, livelihoods and food security,” pointed out EJF Executive Director Steve Trent in a statement sent to FIS.com.

The executive director also remarked: “Flag States need to maintain a firm grip on their distant water fleet, and we hope that other States will follow Korea’s lead. The actions taken by Korea since 2013 clearly demonstrate the global impact of the proactive steps taken by the EU and European Commission, through the EU IUU Regulation, to drive out pirate fishing from global supply chains.”

From 2010 to early 2014, EJF had documented a large number of Korean-flagged vessels operating illegally in West Africa, particularly in Sierra Leone, where the foundation operates a community surveillance project to report IUU fishing activities in the inshore areas reserved for local fishers.

The non-government organisation is convinced that this evidence had contributed to the 2013 decision by the European Union to warn Korea that it faced trade sanctions if it did not improve fisheries management.

Korea had been encouraged to act by the EU’s IUU Regulation and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with EJF in June 2014, committing to share information in order to tackle IUU fishing.

Last year, this country amended its laws to significantly strengthen its Monitoring, Control and Surveillance (MCS) capacity and reinforced sanctions on IUU fishing activities. In addition, From September 2015, all vessels will be fitted with an electronic logbook system, which will allow vessels to share real-time information on catch and fishing operations.

In addition, as part of this struggle against IUU fishing, Korea’s Distant Water Fisheries Development (DWFD) Act will come into force from 7 July 2015, which will allow the confiscation of illegal fish found in Korean ports; the restriction of fishing authorisations; increased ability to act when Korean nationals engage in IUU fishing in waters outside Korea’s jurisdiction and tougher sanctions on serious infringements.

EJF reported that one of the region-specific measured adopted was the purchase of a large part of the Korean fleet that has been operating in West Africa by the Korean Government and scrapped, as part of a vessel de-commissioning programme.

Another measure taken in an effort to improve transparency and combat corruption was the lack of authorization of the Korean Government to obtain private licensing in some West African countries, where fishing licences will instead be negotiated in the framework of bilateral agreements from Government to Government.

As to Thailand, EJF highlighted the importance of the warning made by the EU to Thailand for failure to combat IUU fishing after a 2014 study estimates that up to 39 per cent of wild-caught seafood entering the US market from Thailand has been caught illegally.

Furthermore, a recent report by the EJF, Pirates and Slaves, examines how ecosystem decline in Thailand’s waters, related to pirate fishing and overfishing, generated pressures leading to the widespread use of slavery throughout the Thai fishing industry and fuelled even greater
levels of illegal fishing.

Thus, EJF is calling on Thailand to adhere to the EU’s Action Plan for Improvement and increase efforts to combat pirate fishing in the next six months.

“Thai authorities exert very little control over their fishing vessels, with many activities illegally damaging fish stocks and the marine environment, and this is linked to some of the most exploitative and inhuman working conditions documented anywhere. These conditions include the use of slaves and extreme violence. It is time for the Thai government to take swift action to control the Thai fleet and end this environmental and human crisis,” Trent concluded.

Related articles:

- Action taken to prevent IUU fishing
- Interpol receives evidence of IUU fishing in the Southern Ocean
- Six nations identified as having vessels engaged in IUU activities
- EJF and fisheries authority collaborate to combat IUU fishing

 
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