The 35^th Session of the Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) Committee on Fisheries (COFI) took place in Rome, Italy the 5 to 9 September 2022. A particular focus of COFI 35 was the adoption of the Voluntary Guidelines for Transshipment, which have been developed in response to the growing recognition of transshipment as a potential facilitator of illegal fishing and a means for illegally caught fish to enter the supply chain

The objective of the Voluntary Guidelines for Transshipment is to assist States, regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs), and other intergovernmental organizations by providing standards for developing their policies and regulations that govern transshipment, with a view to integrating these in the regulatory framework for sustainable fisheries management.

“These Guidelines aim to regulate, monitor and control transshipment to support sustainable fisheries and further close loopholes that enable fish derived from IUU fishing to enter the market,” stated Audun Lem, Deputy-Director of FAO’s fisheries and aquaculture division.

Under the Guidelines, it is recommended that States and RFMOs should:

• Ensure that vessels involved in transshipments are authorised by the relevant flag, coastal or port State and that vessels notify the relevant authorities before conducting any type of transshipment.
• Adopt transparent reporting procedures to facilitate the verification of authorisations and transshipment data, allowing for effective monitoring, control and surveillance actions.
• Ensure that all vessels involved in transshipments provide a declaration containing specific data about the quantities of fish, the species and any bycatch.
• Share transshipment data such as vessel lists, notifications, authorisations and declarations, observer and inspections reports, infractions and sanctions.
• Establish reporting procedures to collect and cross-reference information on the quantity of fish landed by species, product form, area, and country of origin for processed fish.

Commenting on the Guidelines, Madagascar’s Minister of Fisheries and the Blue Economy, Dr Paubert Mahatante Tsimanaoraty, said, “Madagascar endorses the proposed Voluntary Guidelines for Transhipment, and we note that we would like these to be implemented in a manner that also improves both the understanding and the monitoring of transhipment in all fisheries, irrelevant of vessel size or flag or which species are being caught and that implementation does not only focus on industrial fisheries.”

Sandy Davies, Stop Illegal Fishing, commented, “At present there is a focus that draws MCS effort away from monitoring fish and fisheries that provide food and nutrition for the people of Africa, and places this effort on monitoring the fish destined primarily for export – the low volume, high value fish that is not feeding Africa. This needs to change – we need to rethink our policies and our focus and ensure that our own African interests are equally protected.”