Canada on Monday singed the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization’s Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing.
Canada already has a tough port-access policy based on a closed-port approach, whereby the country’s fisheries minister oversees the granting of licenses to foreign fishing vessels, according to Canadian Fisheries Minister Gail Shea. Signing the agreement supports Canada’s existing activities to fight IUU fishing worldwide and prevent illegal seafood products from entering markets through port access.
The agreement’s measures include standardizing requirements for the information provided by vessels seeking port entry, denying port entry and services to vessels implicated in IUU fishing activities, and setting standards for vessel inspections and inspector training.
“IUU fishing is a global problem and we are committed to fighting it on a global scale,” said Shea. “Canada is the world’s seventh largest exporter of seafood products a sector that serves as an economic mainstay for approximately 1,500 rural and coastal communities across the country. We must continue to be at the forefront of this fight if we want to maintain a fair, stable and transparent market environment for our high quality seafood exports.”
The agreement will go into effect once it’s ratified by 25 FAO members.
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