IUU vessels

The objectives of the Southern Indian Ocean Fisheries Agreement (SIOFA) are to ensure the long-term conservation and sustainable use of the fishery resources in the Area through cooperation among the Contracting Parties, and to promote the sustainable development of fisheries in the Area.

In achieving these objectives one of the most important functions of SIOFA is to develop and monitor measures to prevent, deter and eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing as provided by Article 6.I(i) of the Agreement.

Combatting IUU is addressed in the following four SIOFA Conservation and Mangement Measures (CMMs): CMM 04(2016) Vessels without Nationality; CMM 08(2020) Port Inspection; CMM 07(2022) Vessel Authorisation; and CMM 06(2022) IUU Vessel List. All SIOFA CMMs can be downloaded from this website under section entitled 'Management' which can be accessed from the main menu.

SIOFA CMM 06(2022) on the listing of IUU Vessels provides an equitable, transparent and non-discriminatory procedure for the identification of vessels which have engaged in fishing in the Agreement Area in contravention of SIOFA CMMs and for establishing a SIOFA IUU Vessel List. This CMM which is binding on all SIOFA Contracting Parties and participating fishing entities provides a set of measures aimed at ensuring that owners and operators of vessels engaging in IUU fishing activities, and any participants in such activities, are effectively deprived of the benefits accruing from those activities and effectively dissuades the actors of further illegal activities. A copy of SIOFA CMM 06(2022) is provided below.

For the purposes of enhancing co-operation between SIOFA and other organisations aimed at preventing, deterring and eliminating IUU fishing, SIOFA CMM on the listing of IUU Vessels was updated to include a special procedure for cross-listing IUU vessels from other organisations. The SIOFA IUU Vessel list is shared with the FAO and following organisations, CCAMLR, CCSBT, ICCAT, IOTC, IATTC, GFCM, NAFO, NEAFC, NPFC, SEAFO, SPRFMO and WCPFC and Article 25 provides a process for incorporating, or deleting as appropriate, into the SIOFA IUU Vessel List, vessels included on the Final IUU Vessels Lists of these organisations provided to the SIOFA Secretariat.