At-sea transshipment of catch between vessels plays a large and important role in the global commercial fishing industry. But while its impact is great, regulatory controls and monitoring are inadequate.
These gaps create risks for labor and human rights abuses, can reduce observer safety, and create opportunities for IUU fishing activities, fraud and catch laundering. Insufficient monitoring can also undermine traceability, the provision of data collection, and effective implementation of bycatch mitigation measures.
These Collective Best Practices for Well-Managed At-Sea Transshipment are designed to inform and guide tRFMOs, FIPs, fisheries management agencies MSC certified fisheries with conditions, and commercial processing and harvesting sectors across the supply chain in developing and/or reforming regulations, policies, procedures and compliance regimes to ensure this fishing-related activity is well-managed.
