Gilles Hosch

Diatom Consulting Ltd.

This study revisits the established correlation between IUU fishing and the quality of governance. However, rather than relying on estimates of illegally harvested volumes of catch, the study tests the correlation between the national response to combat IUU fishing – as a proxy of IUU fishing risk – and the quality of governance. Linear regression...

Since the adoption of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in 2015, the world oceans, to which a specific goal was assigned, have been high on the global agenda. At the national level, the ocean has received increasing consideration, with many coastal states and islands adopting blue economy strategies and frameworks, and putting the oc...

The 2009 Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA) was the first legally binding international instrument to empower port States to deny foreign vessels suspected of having engaged in illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing from using their ports and to land catches. This paper builds upon previous work analyzing 2020 AIS data to rank fishing...

Numerous policy and international frameworks consider that “destructive fishing” hampers efforts to reach sustainability goals. Though ubiquitous, “destructive fishing” is undefined and therefore currently immeasurable. Here we propose a definition developed through expert consultation: “Destructive fishing is any fishing practice that causes irrec...

Seafood is the world’s most globally traded food commodity but lacks regulation to mitigate illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing

In early 2019, the IUU Fishing Risk Index was launched as a way of benchmarking and ranking countries based on their vulnerability to, prevalence of and response to illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. The IUU Fishing Risk Index website (www.iuufishingindex.net) provides maps to visualize scores by indicator type and responsibility. I...

7-page summary of the full study covering key findings

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) intend to "achieve a better and more sustainable future for all people in the world" 1. They have become a key driver for policy and decision-making in many regions, including in the Western Indian Ocean (WIO) region. This paper analyses national and regional progress towards achieving SDG 14 in the WIO. Pro...

This study for Oceana involved a multi-disciplinary team of researchers to determine the global and regional significance of blue shark fisheries. It estimates the global blue shark catch, maps trade in the species, calculates economic values for blue shark and explores the policies and management measures in place. The report finds that there is...

The IUU Fishing Index was launched in early 2019 as a way of benchmarking and ranking countries for their vulnerability to, prevalence of and response to illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. The dedicated IUU Fishing Index website (www.iuufishingindex.net) provides maps to visualize scores by indicator type and responsibility. The 202...

Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing poses grave risk to sustainable management of fish stocks and marine ecosystems with global losses ranging between $10 and $23.5 billion annually. In 2019, close to 6.3 million tonnes of seafood worth € 27.2 billion was imported from outside Europe. In 2007, illegal seafood imports into the EU were...

This paper analyses catch and effort in the data deficient commercial offshore fisheries of Myanmar's Tanintharyi Region, using a unique dataset of fish catch landing records. We analyse 26,517 logbook records for five gear types-fish and crab traps, squid and purse seines, and demersal trawls-collected by the Department of Fisheries (DOF) between...

An international scandal of illegal trade in BFT, uncovered by the Spanish Guardia Civil in late 2018, involving operators in Member States of the European Union (EU), gave rise to the surmise that trade control measures put in place by ICCAT in 2008, specifically aimed at eliminating illegal trade – in the form of a catch documentation scheme (CDS...

This study assesses the risk of fish from illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) sources passing through the world’s most important fishing ports and explores the drivers of this risk. Like previous studies it has attempted to rank ports and States based on landings and vessel visits reported by governments by using Automatic Identification Sys...

"Deep dives" of 14 selected ports, providing a more detailed analysis of vessel movements at the level of individual ports, present an opportunity to assess the utility of AIS-data at this level, and to compare the results of individual ports with the results of their port States and their region in general. Based on this assessment, the study find...

Short 4-page summary of, and discussion about the implications of China's low scores on the 2019 IUU Fishing Index produced by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime.

Incentives for illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing are considerable given the financial benefits that can accrue in both large and small-scale fishing operations, and in developed and developing countries alike. IUU fishing is a major threat to the sustainable exploitation of the world’s fisheries resources. The negative impacts of IU...

This paper discusses the potential value of catch documentation schemes (CDS) in deep-sea fisheries (DSF), and the implementation modalities that have to be envisaged, to ensure the effectiveness of this trade-based tool to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. The paper argues that CDS are indeed capable of directly addressing...

Following extensive stakeholder consultations on how to prevent illegally harvested fish from slipping into global food supply chains, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) came up with new Guidelines which provide formalised guidance as to what Catch Documentation Schemes are, their aims, and how they should be designed and operated. The Gui...

Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing is a persistent and global problem that undermines the achievement of sustainable fisheries, a challenge encapsulated in Target 14.4 of the Sustainable Development Goals. It can have harmful impacts on sustainable development priorities such as food security, economic development, and fighting orga...

Catch documentation schemes have been a topic of debate for almost 20 years, and continue to mean different things to different people. This manual sets out to clarify the nature of catch documentation schemes and what they can achieve. It explores the factors to be considered in the design of such schemes as a management tool, and a monitoring, co...

Catch documentation schemes (CDS) are market-related measures that have been developed specifically to combat IUU fishing. An official definition is as follows: “A system that tracks and traces fish from the point of capture through unloading and throughout the supply chain. A CDS records and certifies information that identifies the origin of fish...

This document was prepared by Mr. Gilles Hosch, in his capacity as a consultant to DoF, during a field mission that took place in Myanmar in November and December 2015. The consultant would like to thank all central and decentralised DoF staff that has contributed to the present plan, and in particular Ms. Nilar Kywe, DoF Assistant Director, who ac...

This study explores issues associated with the traceability of large volumes of salmon and whitefish originating in Russia (~25-30% of global totals), often processed in China, and exported to the EU and other western markets. For the purposes of this analysis, traceability is defined as the ability to document the legal provenance of fish through...

To assist ACP and OCT States to maintain and strengthen market access, AIDCO developed an ACP-wide programme in the early 2000’s, which aimed to help ACP States and some OCTs to strengthen their national frameworks for the production and export of safe and hygienic seafood, complying with standards put forward in EU legislation. The programme was e...

La Conférence Ministérielle sur la Coopération Halieutique entre les Etats Africains Riverains de l’Océan Atlantique (COMHAFAT) est une organisation intergouvernementale de coopération en Afrique qui regroupe 22 Etats situés sur la côte Atlantique s’étendant de la Namibie au Sud au Maroc au Nord. Elle s’inscrit dans une logique de coopération inter...

The reform of the European Union's Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) is focusing attention on EU distant water fishing activities, including the agreements signed with developing coastal states. Here, the EU's fishing agreement with Madagascar, among the poorest countries to hold such an agreement, is examined. Incomes received by Madagascar since the...

a b s t r a c t The reform of the European Union's Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) is focusing attention on EU distant water fishing activities, including the agreements signed with developing coastal states. Here, the EU's fishing agreement with Madagascar, among the poorest countries to hold such an agreement, is examined. Incomes received by Madag...

The current world fisheries crisis is characterized by vast overcapacity of fishing fleets, growing depletion of major fish stocks, evaporation of economic rent, and high incidence of IUU fishing. The crisis has been fuelled by ineffective governance, and is now exacting increased efforts from fisheries administrations world wide to dedicate increa...

This guide draws inspiration from the book "Sharing Power" published by IUCN/CEESP and IIED. The guide provides a convenient synthesis of the main phases of a shared-governance process for Marine Protected Areas (MPA) in West Africa. Among the key targeted actors are civil servants in charge of managing MPAs, members of concerned communities and lo...

Les Aires Marines Protégées (AMPs) d'Afrique de l'Ouest tiennent enfin, avec ce guide pratique, leur outil d'émancipation. Il est temps de structurer nos approches et passer à la vitesse supérieure en matière de gouvernance partagée et gestion conjointe des aires protégées. Tous ceux qui s'intéressent de près ou de loin aux AMPs-communautés, indivi...

This circular analyses the implementation and the impact of the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries since 1995. In doing so, it first establishes a picture of fisheries and aquaculture sectors before the publication of the Code and 13 years after, in order to detect major changes in both sectors. While fundamental changes in the fisheries...

Indonesia is the fourth largest country in the world with a land mass of 1.9 million km2, archipelagic territorial sea of some 3 million km2, and an EEZ extending to approximately 3.1 million km2 around the estimated 19,000 islands and its 81,000 km of coastline. Indonesia, with its 27 provinces, spreads over a large area (4800 km on the base) with...

Malaysia, formed on September 16, 1963 was a union of the 11 states of Peninsular Malaysia with the self-governing state of Singapore, and the former British colonies of Sabah (North Borneo) and Sarawak. Singapore left the new federation in 1965. Now Malaysia is a federation of 13 states and two federal territories: (i) Peninsular Malaysia comprise...

Vietnam is situated in the tropical monsoon area in South East Asia. It has a coastline of more than 3 260 km, stretching from Mong Cai (Quang Ninh) down to Ha Tien (Kien Giang), crossing 13 latitudes, from 8°23’N to 21°39’N. The continental shelf has a surface area of some 700 000 km² (Flewwelling, 2000), while the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) is...

This paper provides general data on Thailand marine capture fisheries management with a focus on the Gulf of Thailand. Thailand is a peninsular country with a total land area of approximately 514 00 km², lying between 5°-20° N and 97°-106° E. Its maritime borders are shared with Cambodia and Viet Nam in the southeast, Myanmar in the west, and Malay...

INTRODUCTION In the early 1990s, FAO Members adopted many global fisheries mandates to bring fisheries under management. The new instruments focused heavily on the management of high seas and shared fisheries resources, and included: • The Agreement for the Implementation of the Provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 1...

The Philippines' key geographical features include 7 107 islands (some note that this is only at low tide), its 17 460 km of coastline, 288 000 km² of coastal waters, 185 000 km² of shelf area, approximately 1.7 million km² of territorial seas, and the 2.3 million km² of marine waters in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ)3. The EEZ is approximately...

This paper provides general data on Thailand marine capture fisheries management in the Andaman Sea. Thailand is a peninsular country with a total land area of approximately 514 000 sq km, lying between 5°-20° N and 97°-106° E. Its maritime borders are shared with Cambodia and Vietnam in the southeast, Myanmar in the west, and Malaysia in the sout...

Bangladesh is rich in water resources, endowed with extensive flood plains drained by hundreds of rivers. Two large river systems, the Jamuna (Brahmaputra) and the Padma (Ganges), draining a substantial part of the north-eastern Indian sub-continent, laden with large quantities of suspended sediments, converge in Bangladesh’s interior, and give ris...

This review is concerned with the Eastern States of India, facing the Eastern Indian Ocean. The States are Tamil Nadu in the south-east, Andhra Pradesh and Orissa further north, and West Bengal, bordering with Bangladesh. Included are the Union territory of Pondicherry, and the Andaan and Nicobar Islands (A&N Islands) in the Bay of Bengal. India i...

The Union of Myanmar, formerly Burma until 1989, gained independence from British colonial rule on January 4th, 1948. It has a coastline of some 3 000 km, which can be divided into three coastal regions: the Rakhine region to the north, facing Myanmar’s most prolific shrimp grounds in the Bay of Bengal and bordering with Bangladesh; the Gulf of Mot...

In the mid-1990s, FAO Members adopted many global fisheries mandates that called upon them to bring fisheries under management. The new instruments focused heavily on the management of high seas and shared fisheries resources, and included the: Agreement for the Implementation of the Provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Se...

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, and a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, is an island republic in the Indian Ocean approximately 100 km off the south-eastern coast of India. North to south it extends approximately 440 km and the greatest width is about 220 km. Sri Lanka is divided into 9 provinces and 25 ad...

The Kingdom of Cambodia is located on the eastern side of the Gulf of Thailand, between neighbouring countries Thailand (to the northwest), Lao People’s Democratic Republic (to the north) and Viet Nam (to the southeast). It has a total land area of approximately 181 000 km². The national territory is surrounded by low mountains, and the centre of t...

In Ghana, as in Senegal, there are hardly any foreign entrants to the national fishery. The socioeconomic situation is a lot more precarious, though. Illiteracy rates are very high (over 60 per cent), and community organization beyond traditional chief systems is very weak. Many communities live below the poverty line (often defined as a daily per...

The article outlines the efforts of coral reef small-scale fishery data collection by a group of students in 1999, in the island of Upolu, Samoa. Along with the student survey work, a household survey and a creel census were runsimultaneously; the results helped to compare the accuracy and quality of data collected by students. The article traces t...

This study tests the quality of subsistence fishery data returned by students in a field trial of a student census. 112 fourteen to eighteen year old students from one rural school on Upolu’s East Coast, Samoa, participated in the study. The students were all drawn from the second and third but last classes of the Samoan secondary education system...

Traditional subsistence and artisanal fisheries provide sustenance, employment and income to vast numbers of Pacific islanders, and are of great importance to national economies and food security. The pervasive lack of subsistence fisheries data across the region and the worrying number of accounts of collapsing stocks and species extinctions are o...