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RECALLING that ICCAT adopted at its 1998 meeting a Resolution Concerning Unreported and Unregulated Catches of Tunas by Large Scale Longline Vessels in the Convention Area, and a Recommendation Concerning Registration and Exchange of Information of Bigeye Tuna Fishing Vessels,
BEING CONCERNED that illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing activities by large scale tuna longline vessels activities in the Convention Area have continued and increased, and that such activities diminish the effectiveness of ICCAT conservation and management measures,
RECOGNIZING that there is evidence to indicate that many owners of vessels engaged in such fishing activities have reflagged their vessels to avoid compliance with ICCAT conservation and management measures and to evade the non-discriminatory trade restrictive measures that ICCAT has adopted,
BEING CONCERNED that many of these vessels are shifting their flag from Non-Contracting Parties to Contracting Parties,
BEING INFORMED that most of these vessels are owned and operated by Chinese Taipei's business entities while almost all of their products are being exported to Japan,
BEING AWARE that a majority of these vessels used to be Japanese vessels and were exported, whereas most of the remaining vessels were built in Chinese Taipei,
SUPPORTING the joint effort by Japan and Chinese Taipei to eliminate large-scale tuna longline vessels engaged in illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing, i.e. scrapping of Japanese origin vessels and reflagging of Chinese Taipei built vessels to Chinese Taipei under its own registration,
RECOGNIZING with grave concern that a number of large-scale tuna longline vessels which are currently under construction in the Chinese Taipei's shipping yards with equipment/devices largely supplied from Japan, have high potential of engaging in illegal, unregulated, and unreported unregulated fishing activities,
BEING AWARE that further action must be taken to deter unreported and unregulated fishing activities in the Convention Area and other areas,
1The Contracting Parties, Cooperating Non-Contracting Parties, Entities or Fishing Entities shall ensure that large-scale tuna longline vessels under their registry do not carry out illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing activities in the Convention Area and other areas (e.g. by means of denying such vessels a license to fish).
2The Contracting Parties, Cooperating Non-Contracting Parties, Entities or Fishing Entities shall take every possible action, consistent with the relevant laws,
ito urge their importers, transporters and other concerned business people to refrain from engaging in transaction and transshipment of tunas and tuna-like species caught by vessels carrying out illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing activities in the Convention Area and other areas.
iito inform their general public of illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing activities by tuna longline vessels which diminish the effectiveness of ICCAT conservation and management measures and urge them not to purchase fish harvested by such vessels, and
iiito urge their manufacturers and other concerned business people to prevent their vessels and equipment/devices from being used for the illegal, unregulated and unreported longline fishing operations in the Convention Area and other areas.
3The Commission urges all Non-Contracting Parties, Entities or Fishing Entities not referred to above to act in conformity with operative paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Resolution.
4Notwithstanding paragraph 1, the Commission praises Chinese Taipei's effort to establish a proper scheme to allow the registration of Chinese Taipei built vessels which have engaged in illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing activities and urges Chinese Taipei to continue and strengthen this effort. The Commission also urges Japan, in cooperation with Chinese Taipei, to scrap Japan-built vessels engaged in illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing activities in the Convention Area and other areas.