CCAMLR: Annual Meeting

At its 30th annual meeting, the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) adopted measures to: - fight illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing by making ship identification numbers of the IMO mandatory for toothfish vessels licensed to fish in the area;
- create marine protected areas (MPAs) based on a general framework; 
- enhance the management of krill fisheries by extending the transhipment notification system to krill vessels; and
- establish a dedicated CCAMLR Ecosystem Monitoring Programme Fund.

CCAMLR Website

SEAFO: 8th Annual Session

At its 8th annual session, the South East Atlantic Fisheries Organization (SEAFO) agreed to accept a footprint for bottom fisheries and the regulation of still un-fished areas by the adoption of technical measures to protect vulnerable marine ecoystems (VMEs). Concerning thresholds to trigger the "move-on rule" in case of possible encounters with VMEs, the SEAFO Commission approved the provisions of the existing Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, for fixed gear; and the thresholds recently adopted by Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organisation (NAFO), for trawlers. With regard to compliance, SEAFO adopted a new Port State Measure in line with the FAO Port State Control Agreement. According to the EU, its application will be essential for the conservation of species under the SEAFO Convention and for international efforts to fight Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported (IUU) fisheries.
Press Release

EU/US: IUU Fishing Statement

Maria Damanaki, European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, and Jane Lubchenco, US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Administrator, signed a statement on September 7 pledging bilateral cooperation to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.