In the context of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries and its overall objective of sustainable fisheries, the issue of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing in the Mediterranean is of serious and increasing concern. IUU fishing undermines efforts to conserve and manage fish stocks in all capture fisheries.
When confronted with IUU fishing, national and regional fisheries management organisations can fail to achieve management goals. This situation leads to the loss of both short and long-term social and economic opportunities and to negative effects on food security and environmental protection.
IUU fishing can lead to the collapse of a fishery or seriously impair efforts to rebuild stocks that have already been depleted. Existing international instruments addressing IUU fishing have not been effective due to a lack of political will, different priorities and the necessary capacity and resources to ratify or implement them.
Malta is a party to a number of international conventions directed at providing for better ocean governance. On May 20, 1993, Malta ratified the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and on November 11, 2001, it ratified the agreement of the implementation of the provisions of the Convention relating to the conservation and management of straddling fish stocks and highly migratory fish stocks.
Further international documents that are not obligatory but which Malta has decided to follow include the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries. There exist three Plans of Action associated with the Code of Conduct. These cover the conservation and management of sharks; the management of fishing capacity, and reducing incidental catch of seabirds in longline fisheries.
Malta has been revising its national legislation to reflect present-day needs and expected future situations and various binding and non-binding international documents that Malta intends to follow.
The legal notices which are of particular relevance to combat IUU fishing include:
Chapter 425 Fisheries Management and Control;
Fishery Regulations, already in force, an amendment of which is being discussed at present;
Fish Standard Regulations, drafted and ready for publishing;
Lampuki Fishing Regulations, drafted and ready for submission to the EC to be enacted as a Commission Regulation;
Aquaculture Operations regulations, drafted and ready for publication;
Fishery Vessel Regulation already in force since September, 2004.
The catch logbook is mandatory for vessels of 10 meters in length and over and which are registered in the Fishing Vessel Register under categories A, B or C. Instructions about the use of this logbook: filling and handling are also published in the Legal Notice. To facilitate its introduction, the FCCD has organized tailor made tutorials and invited all the fishermen who are obliged to fill the logbook to instruct them about its use.
By the end of this year, Malta would have installed a vessel monitoring system (VMS) on all its vessels longer than 15 m. These are essential tools to combat IUU fishing. The national legislation requires that all equipment on board that can be used as fishing gear has to be marked showing the registration number of the vessels. This provides a faster way to relate any inspected gear whilst at sea or lost gear that was found to its vessel.
Malta's EU membership implies that additional fisheries regulations have to be implemented. Officials who may serve as fisheries Protection Officers have to receive the required training to carry out their duties and responsibilities in a professional manner.
The FCCD provided training to its FPOs and from time to time offers courses to members of the Armed Forces of Malta which are responsible for fisheries protection. Malta needs to strengthen its Fisheries Conservation and Control Division with more Fisheries Protection Officers to enhance effective fisheries management.
Malta is on its way to achieving a situation that enables it to combat IUU fishing activities. The FCCD has produced a draft NAP for IUU which is being launched today. This draft is hence open for discussion. All suggestions and remarks presented today to FCCD in the next 60 days will be noted and taken into consideration when establishing the draft NPA as the Maltese Plan of Action to combat IUU fishing.
Dr Agius is parliamentary secretary responsible for fisheries in the Ministry of Environment and Rural Affairs