Port State Measures Agreement to take effect in June

Port State Measures Agreement to take effect in June



BANGKOK, 23 May 2016 (NNT) – The Port State Measures Agreement will officially go into effect on 5th June, after it breezed past the minimum requirement of 25 countries pledging to adhere to the treaty.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) announced that the international Port State Measures Agreement will go into effect on June 5. The Agreement is critical to global efforts to end illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and sustainable management of fisheries.

Parties to the agreement have made a commitment to block fishing vessels that have engaged in IUU fishing from using their ports, and prevent IUU fish from entering their markets.

The UN also congratulated Thailand on joining the Agreement and demonstrating its continued commitment to international cooperation to promote sustainable fishing and conserve the marine environment.

The treaty requires signatories to commit to more stringent control of vessels that enter their ports to offload seafood. It gives them the required authority and justification for refusing ships known to participate in IUU fishing. It will also increase information-sharing and communication between different nations, which will be a huge step forward in the fight against IUU fishing.


-- NNT 2016-05-23