Commission proposes measure for anti-IUU fishing cooperation with Việt Nam

Workers process fish for export at a factory in Việt Nam. VNA/VNS Photo

SYDNEY – The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) has contacted the Vietnamese Government to propose a cooperation opportunity through voluntary participation in the commission’s Catch Documentation Scheme (CDS) for toothfish.

Talking to the Vietnam News Agency, Todd Dubois, Fisheries Monitoring and Compliance Manager at the CCAMLR, said it is highly concerned about illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing in the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CAMLR Convention) Area.

IUU fishing seriously decreased toothfish stocks and undermined the CCAMLR’s conservation targets as well as the science supporting reasonable use of marine living resources in the Antarctic. The CCAMLR has taken some measures against IUU fishing, including the launch of the CDS for toothfish, he noted.

Dubois said the CDS is an electronic system designed for tracking toothfish from the time catches arrive at ports and throughout the commercial cycle. It covers all toothfish species harvested and traded by member states. Through this measure, the CDS helps differentiate toothfish harvested legally and illegally, and prevent the import of illegally caught toothfish to into the world’s largest markets.

The CCAMLR has encouraged the country to consider cooperating with it by implementing the CDS, he went on, affirming the CCAMLR’s readiness to give all-round support if Việt Nam wishes to work with the CCAMLR via the CDS participitation.

By doing so, Việt Nam will also be able to help the CCAMLR realise conservation targets and assist with global efforts against IUU fishing, according to Dubois. VNS