This Resolution of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC), taking account of the need to combat illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) and expressing grave concern that organized tuna-laundering operations have been conducted, and a significant amount of catches by IUU tuna longline fishing vessels have been transshipped under the names of duly licensed fishing vessels, establishes a program to monitor transshipments at sea, which applies only to large-scale tuna longline fishing vessels (LSTLFVs) and to carrier vessels authorized by their respective flag CPC to receive transshipments from these vessels at sea. Except under the program to monitor transshipment at sea outlined below in Section 2, all transshipment operations in the Antigua Convention Area of tuna and tuna-like species and sharks caught in association with the fisheries covered by the Convention must take place in port and respect obligations set out in Annex 1. No at-sea transshipment of tuna and tuna-like species and sharks caught by fishing vessels other than LSTLFVs shall be allowed. Each CPC shall determine whether or not to authorize its LSTLFVs to transship at sea. Only LSTLFVs that are included in the IATTC list of authorized longline vessels and that operate under the jurisdiction of CPCs that participate in the observer program established by this Resolution are authorized to make transshipments at sea. The IATTC Director will maintain a list of such vessels in accordance with this Resolution. Transshipments by LSTLFVs in waters under the jurisdiction of the CPCs are subject to prior authorization from the Coastal CPC concerned. CPCs shall take the necessary measures to ensure that LSTLFVs flying their flag comply with specified conditions. Other matters regulated by this Resolution include data collecting and reporting obligations of vessels and CPCs.
2022-08-05