A/RES/64/72
international plans of action set out principles and global standards of behaviour for
responsible practices for conservation of fisheries resources and the management
and development of fisheries,
Welcoming further the outcomes, including the decisions and recommendations, of
the twenty-eighth session of the Committee on Fisheries of the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations, held from 2 to 6 March 2009, 5
4F
Noting with concern that effective management of marine capture fisheries has
been made difficult in some areas by unreliable information and data caused by,
inter alia, unreported and misreported fish catch and fishing effort and that this lack
of accurate data contributes to overfishing in some areas,
Recognizing the significant contribution of sustainable fisheries to food
security, income, wealth and poverty alleviation for present and future generations,
Recognizing also the urgent need for action at all levels to ensure the longterm sustainable use and management of fisheries resources through the wide
application of the precautionary approach and ecosystem approaches,
Expressing concern over the current and projected adverse effects of climate
change on food security and the sustainability of fisheries, and noting in that regard
the work of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the United Nations Environment
Programme,
Deploring the fact that fish stocks, including straddling fish stocks and highly
migratory fish stocks, in many parts of the world are overfished or subject to
sparsely regulated and heavy fishing efforts, as a result of, inter alia, illegal,
unreported and unregulated fishing, inadequate flag State control and enforcement,
including monitoring, control and surveillance measures, inadequate regulatory
measures, harmful fisheries subsidies and overcapacity, as well as inadequate port
State control, as highlighted in the report of the Food and Agriculture Organization
of the United Nations, The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2008, 6
5F
Concerned that a limited number of States have taken measures to implement,
individually and through regional fisheries management organizations and
arrangements, the International Plan of Action for the Management of Fishing
Capacity adopted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 7
6F
Recalling the International Plan of Action to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate
Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing, adopted by the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations,7
Particularly concerned that illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing
constitutes a serious threat to fish stocks and marine habitats and ecosystems, to the
detriment of sustainable fisheries as well as the food security and the economies of
many States, particularly developing States,
Concerned that some operators increasingly take advantage of the
globalization of fishery markets to trade fishery products stemming from illegal,
_______________
5
See Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Report of the twenty-eighth session of the
Committee on Fisheries, Rome, 2–6 March 2009, FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Report No. 902
(FIEL/902 (En)).
6
Available from www.fao.org/corp/publications/en.
7
Available from www.fao.org/fishery/publications/en.
2