Efforts to slow the pace of illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing on the high seas of the North Pacific Ocean proved successful in 2020, according to a new report from the North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission.
The five member countries of the commission have achieved a unique forum for effective enforcement of measures outlined by the Convention for the Conservation of Anadromous Stocks in the North Pacific Ocean, the NPAFC said, in a report from its annual meeting.
Coordinated enforcement efforts of Canada, Japan the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation and the United States in 2020 covered significant portions of the NPAFC convention area with over 390 hours of aircraft patrols and 136 ship days, to deter and interrupt illegal fishing activity.
These combined multilateral efforts identified multiple violations of conservation and management measures established by regional fisheries management organizations in the North Pacific Ocean, but none involved high seas driftnet activity or illegal retention of salmon.
This may indicate that efforts of member countries and enforcement actions are reducing such illegal activities, the commission said.
Member countries also discussed the status of acceptance of the Food and Agriculture Organization agreement on Port State Measures, which went into effect in June 2016, to prevent, deter and eliminate illegal fishing. The global, legally binding agreement is designed to strengthen controls and deter illegal activity by preventing illegally caught fish from entering the global marketplace.
