Manual

Document Verification Manual: Vessel Identity

The Document Verification Manual for Fisheries Enforcement has been produced by Stop Illegal Fishing and Trygg Matt Tracking as part of their support to the FISH-i Africa and West Africa Task Forces, and by Stop Illegal Fishing as part of the African Ports Network Toolkit.

The practice of under or misreporting catches, for example by using false catch logs and catch certificates, to bypass catch restrictions, underpay related fees, falsify hygiene reports, and to mislabel species are well documented.

However, there is little written about vessel identity fraud and how this widespread fisheries crime is facilitated by document forgery. In 2018, INTERPOL warned about resurgence in fraudulent abuse of flag State registries for fishing vessels, which confirmed what had been observed along the coasts of Africa and internationally in the past years.

This manual focuses on vessel identity – nationality, authorisation status, operational history, etc. – and related fraudulent practices, and primarily looks into what a vessel “says” about itself, rather than what the catch “says”. Because of this vessel-centric approach, the manual does not address other forms of document fraud related to the catch.

It is however important to note that the handling of the catch itself is also prone to ‘identity fraud’, in particular transhipment and port landing operations where false documents may be used to cover the illegal origin of the fish in order to gain access to port and markets. The boundary between vessel identity fraud and catch identity fraud can be very thin.

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Introduction

Documents carried onboard a fishing vessel may provide information about the vessel’s identity, registration, physical characteristics, what activities it is permitted to engage in and where, and whether it has been certified as compliant with required safety regulations.

However, documents can be altered, replicated or obtained by illegal means, making them false, so it is essential that vessel documents are systematically verified as part of the fisheries monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) process.

False documents are used in an attempt to hide illegal activities or to avoid obligations and costs. False vessel registration certificates, fishing licences or catch certificates are a key element in many cases of illegal fishing, as illegal operators either alter existing documents or create forged documents.

The use of the words ‘false’, ‘forgery’, ‘fake’, and ‘fraud’ can be used to indicate different activities or to imply something about the motives behind the activity. These terms can quickly become muddled in everyday use and especially when translated into other languages. In this manual ‘false’ is used as a broad term that encompasses all these terms