US port privileges denied to fishing vessels of 17 nations as a result of failing to adhere to High Seas Driftnet Fishing Moratorium Protection Act
NOAA Fisheries has denied US port privileges to a number of fishing vessels from 17 different nations that have been found to be operating in contravention of the High Seas Driftnet Fishing Moratorium Protection Act.
The High Seas Driftnet Fishing Moratorium Protection Act is a US law that requires the United States to identify nations engaged in illegal, unreported or unregulated (IUU) fishing; illegal bycatch of protected marine species; or shark fishing on the high seas, where the nations involved do not ‘have regulatory measures comparable to the United States.’
The vessels of the 17 countries identified in NOAA Fisheries’ 2023 Report to Congress.include:
- People’s Republic of China-flagged longline fishing vessels authorized under several international commissions
- Russian-flagged fishing vessels authorized under the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources to target toothfish.
- Mexican-flagged vessels operating in gillnet fisheries in the Gulf of Ulloa and failing to take adequate measures to reduce loggerhead sea turtle bycatch.
- Longline fishing vessels operating in International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas fisheries beyond national jurisdictions and flagged to Algeria, Barbados, Côte d’Ivoire, Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Namibia, Senegal, Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, and Türkiye
The port denials prohibit services such as refueling and resupplying, although essential services required for the health and safety of the crew or if the vessel is in ditress would still be provided under international maritime laws.
NOAA Fisheries says that once the illegal fishing practices have been identified, it engages in a two-year consultation period with the transgressors, encouraging them to improve their fisheries management and enforcement practices.
Failure to take corrective action leads to negative certification and subsequent measures, including the denial of US port privileges.
A positive certification to lift the port priviledge denials is possible once the nations cited in the 2023 are considered to have adequately addressed their respective failures.
NOAA says that its proactive approach ‘underscores [its] dedication to promoting responsible fishing practices and safeguarding marine ecosystems for future generations.’
