A/RES/60/31
“flags of convenience” as well as to require that a “genuine link” be established
between States and fishing vessels flying their flags, and calls upon States to
implement the Declaration as a matter of priority;
40. Requests States and relevant international bodies to develop, in
accordance with international law, more effective measures to trace fish and fishery
products to enable importing States to identify fish or fishery products caught in a
manner that undermines international conservation and management measures
agreed in accordance with international law, and at the same time to recognize the
importance of market access, in accordance with provisions 11.2.4, 11.2.5 and
11.2.6 of the Code, for fish and fishery products caught in a manner that is in
conformity with such international measures;
41. Encourages further work by competent international organizations,
including the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and
subregional and regional fisheries management organizations and arrangements, to
develop guidelines on flag State control of fishing vessels;
42. Recognizes the need for enhanced port State controls to combat illegal,
unreported and unregulated fishing, urges States to cooperate, in particular at the
regional level and through regional and subregional fisheries management
organizations and arrangements, and encourages States to apply the model scheme
on port State measures endorsed by the Committee on Fisheries at its twenty-sixth
session in March 20056 at the national and regional levels, to promote its application
through regional fisheries management organizations and arrangements and bodies,
and to consider, when appropriate, the possibility of developing a legally binding
instrument;
43. Calls upon all States to ensure that vessels flying their flag do not engage
in trans-shipments of fish caught by fishing vessels engaged in illegal, unreported
and unregulated fishing, and, individually or through regional fisheries management
organizations or arrangements, to develop more effective enforcement and
compliance measures to prevent and suppress such trans-shipments in accordance
with international law;
44. Urges States, individually and through relevant regional fisheries
management organizations and arrangements, to establish mandatory vessel
monitoring, control and surveillance systems for fishing vessels, including the
sharing of information on fisheries enforcement matters, to join the existing
voluntary International Monitoring, Control and Surveillance Network for FisheriesRelated Activities and to consider the possibility, when appropriate, of transforming
the Network, in accordance with international law, into an international unit with
dedicated resources that can assist fisheries enforcement agencies;
45. Encourages and supports the development of a comprehensive global
record within the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations of
fishing vessels, including refrigerated transport vessels and supply vessels, that
incorporates available information on beneficial ownership, subject to
confidentiality requirements in accordance with national law, and urges flag States
to require that all their large-scale fishing vessels operating on the high seas be
fitted with vessel monitoring systems no later than December 2008, or earlier if so
decided by the flag State or any relevant regional fisheries management
organizations or arrangements, as called for in the 2005 Rome Declaration on
Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing;
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