-- Inadequate monitoring can lead to illegal catch entering port 

The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission's (WCPFC's) management of 
transshipments in its waters is compromised by significant gaps in reporting, 
monitoring, and data sharing, according to a report released today by The Pew 
Charitable Trusts. 

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Transshipment is the transfer of fish from the vessel that caught the fish to a 
carrier vessel that will deliver the fish to port, an activity that often takes 
place on the high seas and outside the view and reach of authorities. While 
moving catch from one vessel to another may seem innocuous, its largely hidden 
nature allows unscrupulous fishing vessel operators to obscure, manipulate, or 
otherwise falsify data on their fishing practices. This contributes to millions 
of dollars of illegally caught fish entering the seafood supply chain each year.

To gain better insight into transshipment operations, The Pew Charitable Trusts 
combined commercially available Automatic Identification System data with the 
application of machine learning technology to analyze the track histories of 
carrier vessels operating in WCPFC convention area waters in 2016. Researchers 
then compared this analysis with publicly available information on 
transshipments and carrier vessels.

The resulting report, "Transshipment in the Western and Central Pacific: 
Greater understanding and transparency of carrier vessel fleet dynamics would 
help reform management," found that only 25 carrier vessels reported high seas 
transshipments to the WCPFC's secretariat in 2016--but at least five times as 
many authorized carrier vessels potentially transshipped in port or at sea in 
WCPFC waters in 2016. 

Per the combined analysis of AIS data and publicly available reports to WCPFC, 
a strong probability exists that more at-sea transshipment events occurred than 
were reported to the WCPFC by carrier vessels themselves or by relevant flag or 
coastal State authorities. Very little information is available on the 
remaining vessels' activities. 

A study cited in the report estimated that more than US$142 million worth of 
illegal, unreported, and unregulated catch is transshipped in the western and 
central Pacific Ocean alone--most of it misreported or not reported by licensed 
fishing vessels. 

"The relative lack of transparency surrounding transshipment is a cause for 
great concern," said Amanda Nickson, Pew's director of international fisheries. 
"Misreporting or not reporting catch not only hinders management efforts to 
improve the health of fish stocks, but it also hurts the economies of island 
nations that heavily rely on fishing."

In addition to the problems with data collection, Pew's report urges the WCPFC 
to enhance data-sharing agreements with other regional fisheries management 
organizations (RFMOs) whose waters overlap with its own. Gaps in coordination 
increase the risk that unreported transshipments may cause RFMOs to 
inaccurately count all species caught in waters they manage, adversely 
affecting the accuracy of stock assessments.

To make vessel operations more transparent, Pew's report recommends that three 
parts of the transshipment regulatory framework be significantly strengthened: 
reporting, monitoring, and data sharing. 

"With continued research, analysis, and action, the WCPFC could become a model 
for effective transshipment management for other regions and fisheries 
management organizations across the globe," said Nickson.

The Pew Charitable Trusts is driven by the power of knowledge to solve today's 
most challenging problems. Learn more at pewtrusts.org.

Media contact: Kimberly Vosburgh, +1 202.540.6372, kvosburgh@pewtrusts.org

SOURCE  The Pew Charitable Trusts