WASHINGTON, April 3, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --
The United States Senate on
April 3 took a strong stand in the
global fight against illegal fishing by ratifying a treaty that
will prevent illegally caught fish from entering the market through
ports around the world. The treaty, called the Port State Measures
Agreement, or PSMA, also would empower port officials to prohibit
foreign vessels that are suspected of illegal activity from
receiving port services and access. By cutting off market access
for illegally caught fish, the treaty will erode the profit
incentive that drives the activity.
The treaty, which the United Nations adopted in 2009, applies to
foreign-flagged vessels calling on ports in any country that is a
party to the agreement. Under its provisions, port officials who
conclude that a vessel has a known or suspected record of illegal
fishing would turn away the vessel or subject it to immediate
inspection. If there is evidence of illegal catch, port officials
would prohibit the landing of the catch. They also would alert
other ports to the situation and could deny the vessel permission
to refuel or receive repairs.
Tamera Luzzatto, senior vice
president for government relations at The Pew Charitable Trusts,
thanked the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and especially
Chairman Robert Menendez (D-NJ),
ranking member Bob Corker (R-TN),
Senator Ed Markey (D-MA), and
Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), for
moving the PSMA through the Senate.
"By ratifying this agreement, the
United States is demonstrating our global commitment to
legal and sustainable fisheries. This will encourage international
cooperation to end illegal fishing in national waters and on the
high seas worldwide," Luzzatto said. "Senators Menendez, Corker,
Markey, and Rubio showed commendable bipartisan resolve in bringing
this treaty to a vote. We now urge the House and Senate to pass the
Pirate Fishing Elimination Act, the implementing language to ensure
that the agreement enters into force in a timely manner."
Worldwide, illegal and unreported fishing accounts for up to 26
million metric tons of fish annually, worth up to $23.5 billion. That equates to more than 1,800
pounds of wild-caught fish stolen from our seas every second.
Reports from the U.S. State Department and the United Nations
Office on Drugs and Crime note that many fishermen who engage in
illegal fishing also commit other transnational crimes, including
drug smuggling, human trafficking, and human rights abuses.
"The agreement, once implemented widely, will be a
cost-effective way to stop illegally caught fish from entering the
market, turning this from a high-gain, low-risk activity into one
in which the likelihood of being caught is a real and present
danger and a major deterrent," said Tony
Long, who directs Pew's project to end illegal fishing. "We
are pleased that the United
States, as one of the largest seafood markets in the world,
is stating emphatically that illegally caught fish are not welcome
in its ports."
The PSMA will take effect once 25 parties ratify it;
the United States is the 11th
party to do so, joining nine other countries and the European
Union.
CONTACT: John
Briley, 202-257-7664, jbriley@pewtrusts.org
SOURCE The Pew Charitable Trusts