Compliance with international conservation and management measures by fishing vessels on the high seas

In order to discourage the practice of requesting the allocation or change of flag by fishing vessels in order to circumvent international measures for the conservation and management of living marine resources, the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations), of which the Community was a member, negotiated an Agreement to promote compliance with international conservation and management measures by fishing vessels on the high seas. The Agreement clarified the states' responsibilities with regard to flags and stipulated that the signatories should make all efforts to ensure that vessels did not engage in any activity that undermined the conservation or management of biological resources. In particular, the Agreement stipulated that the states should establish a system to authorise fishing in the high seas and that they should carry out a series of controls before granting this authorisation and throughout its period of validity. Moreover, states should provide for sanctions in order to guarantee respect for the Agreement. This proposal for a decision was aimed at enabling the Community to accept the Agreement. �