The Bahamas Maritime Authority has issued Bulletin which provides guidance on the Bahamas position on Illegal, Unreported & Unregulated (IUU) fishing. It also provides guidance to operators of Bahamian ships involved in activities associated with fishing, such as transhipment of cargoes on refrigerated cargo ships, and outlines requirements for Bahamian ships involved in such activities.
Illegal, Unreported & Unregulated (IUU) fishing is defined in The International Plan of Action to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing (IPOA-IUU), issued by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
The government of The Commonwealth of The Bahamas has adopted positions in concert with global efforts to deter, reduce and, where possible, eliminate IUU fishing. Fishing vessels and fish factory vessels are not accepted for registration in The Bahamas under the Merchant Shipping Act.
Bahamian owned and operated fishing vessels operate within Bahamian waters only and are registered with the Port Department under the Boat Registration Act. Enquiries related to Bahamian fishing vessels should be referred to the Port Department or the Department of Marine Resources. Bahamian ships are not permitted to take part in IUU fishing, including transhipments from fishing vessels or fish factory vessels, which are, or are suspected of being, involved in IUU fishing. Moreover, Bahamian ships are not permitted to assist vessels on RFMO IUU lists, other than when a distress situation exists and the master is obliged to assist, as specified in SOLAS Chapter V, Regulation 33.
The Bahamas has no objection to the involvement of Bahamian ships in fisheries transhipment operations, provided that all relevant permissions and licences have been obtained for the affected Convention areas and/or coastal State(s) and any reporting requirements are observed in full.
There are specific requirements for ships involved in transhipment operations in the North East Atlantic Fisheries Convention (NEAFC) area. Where Bahamian ships are suspected of involvement in IUU fishing, the BMA and/or affected State(s) will investigate, either themselves or in conjunction with an NGO. In some cases, third party States may be requested to assist in such investigations, which may lead to delays to, or detentions of, ships under investigation.
Bahamian ships confirmed as having been involved in IUU fishing will be deleted from The Bahamas register and the owners and master will face prosecution.
Further details may be found by reading the guide below
Source: BMA
