Electronic Catch Certificates - FAO

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Electronic Catch Certificates: Reducing Red Tape- the Norwegian Experience ... Norway will host a side event on Tuesday
Electronic Catch Certificates: Reducing Red Tape- the Norwegian Experience Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated fishing is a global problem that undermines sustainable management efforts and poses a major threat to healthy fish stocks and other marine life. Market state measures may be a valuable addition to landing and port control-measures to combat IUU fishing. However, such tools must be workable, effective and avoid putting an unnecessary burden on trade. Norway has promoted a number of different instruments and measures to combat IUU-fishing, including electronic catch documentation schemes. In the past years we have, however, witnessed that several countries have introduced a multitude of different catch certificates which may result in a catch documentation jungle, thus creating unnecessary barriers to trade. We believe a harmonization of catch certification schemes will be an important measure that will strengthen the global efforts against IUU fishing and at the same time promote trade. Norway has set up its own catch documentation scheme which is electronic and based on the existing Norwegian control system. The system is in our experience user friendly. At the same time it is tamper proof, as the veracity of any issued catch document can be verified by control authorities in the importing state. Norway will host a side event on Tuesday 10th of June at 12:30 pm, where we will demonstrate how the catch documentation scheme works in practice. It is our hope that this will serve as useful input to the discussion on catch documentation under agenda item 8.2. The event will be held in meeting room Austria and a light lunch will be provided.