The purpose of the consultation was to prepare a draft text of a legally-binding instrument on port state measures, based on the 2001 FAO International Plan of Action to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing and the 2005 FAO Model Scheme on Port State Measures to Combat Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing. On the basis of an initial draft, a draft agreement was produced that will be submitted for consideration and review by the Technical Consultation on Port State Measures to be held in June 2008.--Publisher's description.

The purpose of the consultation was to prepare a draft text of a legally-binding instrument on port state measures, based on the 2001 FAO International Plan of Action to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing and the 2005 FAO Model Scheme on Port State Measures to Combat Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing. On the basis of an initial draft, a draft agreement was produced that will be submitted for consideration and review by the Technical Consultation on Port State Measures to be held in June 2008.--Publisher's description.

This document contains the report of the Expert Consultation on the Development of a Comprehensive Global Record of Fishing Vessels, which was held at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy, from 25 to 28 February 2008. The Director-General of FAO convened the Expert Consultation to provide guidance to FAO regarding the future development of a comprehensive Global Record (including guidance on the scope of the record, criteria for inclusion in the record, goals of the record, the sources of data and how to obtain accurate, comprehensive and current data, the need for a unique vessel identifier, the special needs of developing countries, and any special considerations), and to identify appropriate next steps, including how technical development should progress. The experts expressed both a sense of urgency about the need for this tool and their belief that market forces could spur compliance prior to any mandatory legal requirement imposed on countries to provide information. The Expert Consultation noted that the Global Record would be an essential tool to ensure the effectiveness of port State measures. Links to other databases were foreseen. The experts raised concerns about how to best convince countries to provide the needed data. In addition to providing information to fisheries enforcement agencies, the Global Record could: improve the traceability of vessels and products regarding illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) detection; enhance transparency of vessel information and operation; strengthen risk assessment for both governments and industry at all levels; and support decision-making on a broad range of topics including fleet capacity, management, safety, pollution, security, statistics and related issues. Further analysis into the viability of the Global Record is likely to occur during the remainder of 2008. In March 2009, proposals regarding its further advancement will be put before the FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI). In the event that the COFI endorses the proposals, development and implementation of the Global Record will remain conditional on the availability of the significant funds required to ensure viability of the project. Funds will also be required and employed to assist some countries in the development of their national registries/records.

This document contains the report of the FAO Regional Workshop on Port State Measures to Combat Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing, which was held at Cape Town, South Africa, from 28 to 31 January 2008. The objective of the Workshop was to develop national capacity and promote bilateral, sub-regional and/or regional coordination so that countries will be better placed to strengthen and harmonize port State measures and, as a result, implement the relevant International Plan of Action to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing (IPOA-IUU) tools and the FAO Model Scheme and contribute to the development of a legally-binding instrument on port State measures. The Workshop addressed: background and framework for port State measures; global and regional issues relating to IUU fishing and port State measures, and the 2005 FAO Model Scheme on Port State Measures to Combat IUU Fishing; the 2007 draft Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing and the implementation of regional and national port State measures; adoption and implementation of port State measures by regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs) and the implementation of measures in the Southern and East Africa subregion; operational and information requirements for effective port State measures; industry perspectives on port State measures and national responses to questionnaires; and key issues for further action and cooperation in strengthening and harmonizing port State measures. Working groups were formed to enhance the participatory nature of the Workshop and as a means of engendering broader and deeper discussion on concepts and issues relating to port State measures. In one exercise they addressed various aspects of port State measures, and recommended and prioritized areas for regional cooperation in implementing port State measures. They also identified further types of support needed to implement port State measures and in another exercise they considered certain thematic aspects relating to the FAO Model Scheme and the draft Agreement on port State measures. This exercise included legal aspects, information requirements, systems and inspection procedures, the results of inspection and training. Funding and support for the Workshop were provided by the FAO Regular Programme, by the Government of Norway through the Trust Fund for Port State Measures (MTF/GLO/206/MUL) and the FishCode Programme (MTF/GLO/125/MUL [Sweden-SIDA] [SWE/05/IUU Port State Measures/IUU fishing]). Funding was also provided by the UK Department for International Development (DFID).

FAO is supporting the implementation of the 2005 FAO Model Schemes on Port State Measures to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, including at regional level. The main objective of the workshop was to consider GFCM Member's coordinated efforts regarding the strengthening and the harmonization of port State measures in the near future and, as a result, build on the requirements of the general guidelines for a GFCM control and enforcement scheme.

This volume reviews and critiques efforts to recast governance of marine fisheries on the basis of sustainability principles (e.g., precautionary and ecosystem approaches), with a focus on Canada’s transboundary fisheries management arrangements, and surveys international laws and policy developments governing transboundary fisheries.

The law of the sea is an important area of international law which must be able to adapt to the changing needs of the international community. Making the Law of the Sea examines how various international organizations have contributed to the development of this law and what kinds of instruments and law-making techniques have been used. Each chapter considers a different international institution - including the International Maritime Organization and the United Nations - and analyses its functions and powers. Important questions are posed about the law-making process, including what actors are involved and what procedures are followed. Potential problems for the development of the law of the sea are considered and solutions are proposed. In particular, James Harrison explores and evaluates the current methods employed by international institutions to coordinate their law-making activities in order to overcome fragmentation of the law-making process.