Fishing vessel owners often use name and flag changes to avoid the consequences of being IUU listed by regional fishery management organisations (RFMOs).
Detailed description
Fishing vessel owners often use name and flag changes to avoid the consequences of being IUU listed by regional fishery management organisations (RFMOs). Two IUU listed fishing vessels, using the names ALDABRA and CHANG BAI, were de-flagged by Tanzania at the request of the RFMO, Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR). The ALDABRA is now operating as a stateless vessel and, after many name changes; the CHANG BAI is currently detained thanks to international cooperation and investigation.
The Western Indian Ocean is home to abundant fish resources that sustain a thriving fishing industry, which in turn support local economies and a provides food and jobs in the region and abroad. These resources also fuel one of the world’s illegal fishing hot spots – destroying the marine environment, robbing national economies, stealing food and livelihoods from local people, and undermining legitimate industry.
In response – eight countries – Comoros, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, Somalia and Tanzania – have joined forces to tackle this problem. These countries had already pledged to take actions against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, but in reality, with combined waters of nearly five million square kilometres and limited assets and capacity, overcoming the complex web of large-scale illegal fishing was a challenge that they could not take on individually.
So in late 2012 FISH-i Africa was formed with the aim to improve cooperation, information and intelligence sharing in order to take enforcement actions against illegal fishing operators.