Combatting IUU Fishing and Improving the Long-Term Conservation of Fish Stocks: Increasing Transparency in Regional Fisheries Management Organizations
The United Nations, INTERPOL, and others have urged the international community to increase transparency in fisheries management because illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing (“IUU”) continues its pervasive and destructive influence on the longterm conservation of fish stocks. Yet, IUU fishers are abetted by the lack of transparency within regional fisheries management organizations (“RFMOs”). For example, none of the RFMOs assessed in this Article— the IATTC, ICCAT, NPFC, and WCPFC—require identification of the beneficial vessel owners, thus allowing vessel owners to hide behind the veil of shell corporations and making prosecution for fisheries offenses extremely difficult. None make vessel monitoring data publicly available, and only the WCPFC requires submission of operational data needed by fisheries managers in order to accurately assess fish stocks. None are transparent about compliance matters, making it impossible to verify whether deterrent-level penalties are assessed against vessels found to be in noncompliance with conservation and management measures. To combat IUU fishing, arrest the continuing decline of fish stocks, and enhance the long-term conservation of fish stocks, RFMOs must increase transparency and, given the current state of global fish stocks, accelerate the speed with which they develop more transparent processes. With greater transparency, the veils of secrecy that hide IUU fishing in Earth’s vast oceans will begin to fall, bringing those fishers operating in the shadows into the light.
Recommended Citation: Chris Wold, Combatting IUU Fishing and Improving the Long-Term Conservation of Fish Stocks: Increasing Transparency in Regional Fisheries Management Organizations, 44 Fordham Int'l L.J. 967 (2021).