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Bali strategy tightens net to fight IUU fishing
For Indonesia, the Bali strategy is an opportunity to keep its promise to be a champion in combatting IUU fishing in the global arena.
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Indonesian Navy personnel from KRI Usman Harun 359 conduct a visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) procedure on Taiwanese fishing vessel Hai Chien Hsing 20 on Jan. 22, 2021. (Courtesy of Indonesian Navy/-)
J
une is a special month for the marine and fisheries community. The world celebrates International Day for the Fight against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing every June 5, World Oceans Day on June 8, and Coral Triangle Day on June 9.
In conjunction with IUU Fishing Day, Indonesia and the world should be proud of having adopted a strategy to improve the effectiveness of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Port States Measures Agreement (PSMA) to prevent, deter and eliminate IUU fishing during the fourth meeting of the Parties of the PSMA in Bali on May 8-12.
As the host country, Indonesia bears no easy tasks and responsibilities in adopting essential documents as a reflection of the state parties’ strong commitments to combatting IUU fishing.
The agreement is perceived as another robust tool to address IUU fishing alongside other legally binding instruments such as the 1993 FAO Compliance Agreement and the 1995 UN Fish Stocks Agreement. The last two pacts emphasize the roles of flag states in combatting IUU fishing while the PSMA focuses on the port state control over fishing vessels when docking to land the catch.
As of May 8, 75 countries have consented to be bound by this agreement, the highest rate of commitment of all international fisheries and ocean instruments. China, Saudi Arabia and Papua New Guinea have expressed their intention to accede the agreement.
Indonesia ratified the agreement through Presidential Regulation No. 43/2016 and enacted Ministerial Regulation No. 39/2019 on the implementation of the PSMA and Ministerial Decree No. 52/2020, which designates five ports to instigate the agreement.
Compared with law enforcement at sea, port state measures are considered the most efficient and cost-effective way to fight IUU fishing, particularly for developing states. In general, there are three major stages covered by the FAO’s PSMA: before entering a port, during docking at a port and after inspections.
