Landing legal catch - Port State Measures

New Zealand is working with other countries through the FAO to negotiate a legally binding international agreement on landing of fish.

In New Zealand, commercially caught fish must be unloaded through licensed fish receivers. Fishers must be able to prove that their catch is legal and have documentation recording the catch history.

Not all countries have such rigorous controls. The proposed international agreement will make illegal fishing harder. Countries that sign up to it will be expected to apply stronger provisions to vessels seeking access to their ports.

For example, those receiving the fish may need to seek proof from vessels that they were fishing legally in an area and that they have reported their catch correctly. If vessels are unable to provide this information they may be denied entry into the port.

While there is still the chance that they could unload fish at ports in countries that aren’t signatories to the agreement, the cost of getting to those ports could make the catch unprofitable