This manual is a supplement to the Voluntary Guidelines on the Marking of Fishing Gear (VGMFG; FAO, 2019), and provides practical instructions on marking methods for the main types of fishing gear in order to identify ownership. The marking of fishing gear contributes to sustainable fisheries, improving the state of the marine and freshwater environments by combating, minimizing, and eliminating abandoned, lost or otherwise discarded fishing gear (ALDFG); it also facilitates the identification and recovery of such gear. In addition, fishing gear marking supports fisheries management and can be used as a tool in the identification of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities. This manual is intended to assist fisheries managers, fishing gear manufacturers and the fisheries sector to meet the relevant international, regional or national obligations for gear marking. More specifically, it enables all stakeholders to comply with the specific gear marking requirements outlined in the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, as well as in other international instruments and agreements. Organizations or parties concerned with, or actively addressing the issue of ALDFG may also find the information in this publication useful.

The Voluntary Guidelines on the Marking of Fishing Gear are a tool to contribute to sustainable fisheries, to improve the state of the marine environment, and to enhance safety at sea by combatting, minimizing and eliminating abandoned, lost or otherwise discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) and facilitating the identification and recovery of such gear. The Guidelines assist fisheries management and can be used as a tool in the identification of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities. The Guidelines address the purpose and principles, the scope of application and the implementation of a gear marking system and its associated components, including reporting, recovery and disposal of ALDFG or unwanted fishing gear and commercial traceability of fishing gear. The Guidelines also contain special considerations for developing States and small-scale fisheries with a view to capacity development, as well as guidance on conducting a risk-based approach to implementing gear marking systems. The Guidelines are expected to assist States in meeting their obligations under international law, including relevant international agreements and related governance frameworks and the specific requirements for gear marking contained in FAO’s Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries. Les Directives volontaires sur le marquage des engins de pêche constituent un outil permettant de contribuer à la pêche durable, d'améliorer l'état de l'environnement marin et de renforcer la sécurité en mer en combattant, réduisant et éliminant les engins de pêche abandonnés, perdus ou rejetés (ALDFG) mais également de faciliter l'identification et la récupération de ces engins. Les Directives favorisent la gestion de la pêche et peuvent être utilisées pour identifier les activités de pêche illégales, non déclarées et non réglementées (INDNR). Les Directives traitent de l'objectif et des principes, du champ d'application et de la mise en œuvre d'un système de marquage des engins et de l’ensemble de ses composantes, notamment la notification, la récupération et l'élimination des ALDFG ou des engins de pêche indésirables ainsi que de la traçabilité commerciale du marquage des engins de pêche. Les Directives contiennent également des considérations spéciales pour les États en développement et les pêcheries artisanales pour le renforcement des capacités, ainsi que des orientations sur le développement d'une approche fondée sur les risques pour la mise en œuvre de systèmes de marquage des engins. Les Directives devraient aider les États à s’acquitter de leurs obligations en vertu du droit international, notamment des accords internationaux pertinents et des cadres de gouvernance connexes, ainsi que des exigences spécifiques en matière de marquage des engins figurant dans le Code de conduite de la FAO pour une pêche responsable. Las Directrices voluntarias sobre el marcado de las artes de pesca son un instrumento que contribuye a la pesca sostenible, a mejorar las condiciones del ambiente marino y a consolidar la seguridad en el mar, combatiendo, reduciendo al mínimo y eliminando los ALDFG y facilitando la identificación y recuperación de dichos aparejos. Estas Directrices contribuyen a la ordenación pesquera y se pueden utilizar como herramienta para identificar las actividades de pesca ilegal, no declarada y no reglamentada (pesca INDNR). Asimismo, abordan las finalidades y principios, el ámbito de la aplicación y la implementación de un sistema de marcado las artes de pesca y sus componentes conexos, incluidas la presentación de informes, la recuperación y la eliminación de los ALDFG. Contienen, además, consideraciones especiales para los Estados en desarrollo y los pescadores artesanales con miras al desarrollo de capacidad, además de orientaciones para conducir enfoques basados en los riesgos para aplicar los sistemas de marcado de las artes de pesca. Se espera que estas Directrices ayuden a los Estados a cumplir sus obligaciones derivadas del Derecho internacional, incluidos los acuerdos internacionales relevantes y los marcos de gobernanza conexos, además de los requisitos específicos para el marcado de las artes de pesca, estipulados en el Código de Conducta de la FAO para la Pesca Responsable (CCPR).

This Technical Consultation stressed the need to monitor and retrieve abandoned, lost or otherwise discarded fishing gear (ALDFG), improve disposal of fish aggregative devices (FADs), and facilitate communication between different fishing fleets.

The Third Meeting of the Regional Working Group on Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing, was held in Barbados from 26 to 28 September 2018. The Regional Working Group on Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (RWG-IUU) Fishing is a joint working group of the Western Central Atlantic Fishery Commission (WECAFC), the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM), and the Organization for Fisheries and Aquaculture of Central America (OSPESCA). A total of 33 experts from 17 WECAFC Members, as well as three inter-governmental organizations, three non-governmental organizations and FAO attended the working group meeting. The working group elaborated recommendations for submission to the WECAFC Scientific Advisory Group on the monitoring and control of transshipment at sea, the application in the region of the technical guidelines on methodologies and indicators for the estimation of the magnitude and impact of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, and the marking of fishing gear.

Unconventional Lawmaking in the Law of the Sea explores the ways that actors operating at the international level develop standards of behaviour to regulate varied maritime activities beyond traditional lawmaking. This 'soft law' is now prolific in ocean governance, so it is vital to consider its significance for the law of the sea

This checklist aims to provide users who are the primary actors in implementing the obligations of States under international law, including officials of States and particularly developing States, with a comprehensive checklist in order to assess the level of conformity of the national legal framework with the relevant international legally binding and non-binding instruments relevant to prevent, deter and eliminate IUU fishing. Based on this checklist, the user should be able to assess whether each duty and responsibility is fully / partially / not found in the national legal framework, and to address any identified gaps.