4.4(c) Transshipment At Sea – Observer Coverage

At-sea transshipments, if not properly monitored, can complicate the collection of accurate data, the traceability of product and can create a fertile environment for illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing activities.

To further support the implementation of RFMO conservation measures for longline observer coverage and the regulation of at-sea transshipment, the collection of data and the effective monitoring of longline vessels:

1. Processors, traders, importers, marketers and others involved in the seafood industry shall conduct transactions with longline vessels that conduct transshipments at sea, whether high seas, EEZ, territorial seas or archipelagic waters, only if 100% of such transshipments are observed (either by a human observer on board the longline vessel or onboard the carrier vessel).
2. For the purposes of this measure, a large-scale longline vessel is defined as a vessel that is equal to or greater than 20m length overall (LOA).