Fisheries are an important socioeconomic activity in coastal developing countries. However, illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing has brought not only overexploitation of fisheries resources but also hindering the recovery of fish populations and ecosystems in addition to affecting the economic and social well-being of fishing communities, which in turn could negatively affect the countries with weak regulatory systems as specified in Sustainable Development Goal 14. Therefore, countermeasures to combat IUU fishing have been drawing attention internationally.

Taking into account the significant contribution of fish and fishery products from Southeast Asian countries to the world market, the ASEAN Secretariat in cooperation with regional partners led by the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC) has strengthened regional initiatives for facilitating the sharing of experiences and information among the ASEAN Member States (AMSs) in order to enhance the respective countries’ capacities and efforts to deal with eliminating IUU fishing and market-driven measures. This was demonstrated when the AMSs adopted in 2016 “The Joint ASEAN-SEAFDEC Declaration on Regional Cooperation for Combating IUU Fishing and Enhancing the Competitiveness of ASEAN Fish and Fishery Products” to strengthen efforts in implementing regional initiatives to combat IUU fishing and promoted the “ASEAN Guidelines for Preventing the Entry of Fish and Fishery Products from IUU Fishing Activities into the Supply Chain,” endorsed by 37th AMAF in 2015.

This project aims at enhancing the capacities of AMSs to prevent and combat IUU fishing through a series of training and/or workshop activities, and target staff of the government agencies concerned responsible for the implementation of relevant activities to eliminate IUU fishing. This project will be implemented in line with the “Resolution and Plan of Action for 2030” on fostering cooperation between international and regional organizations in combating IUU fishing and developing adequate capacities among the member countries in implementing specific measures to further promote sustainable fisheries as well as the ASEAN Roadmap on Combating IUU Fishing (2021–2025). This project is expected to contribute to the “ASEAN Economic Community Blueprint 2025: Specifically, Increase of Fishery/Aquaculture Production (C.5.57.i), and Enable Sustainable Production (C.5.57.iii)”.

The project comprises three (3) outputs i.e., 1. Responsible fishing technologies and practices to combat IUU fishing are promoted, 2) The capacity of AMSs to combat IUU fishing activities is enhanced through effective management tools of traceability for fish and fishery products, and 3) Policy measures to combat IUU Fishing are enhanced in AMSs. Activities under all outputs are undertaken by SEAFDEC/TD. The project timeframe is from 2023 to 2025.

Considering that the vast regional waters of ASEAN are interconnected – nearly 13 million square kilometers in total area, with around 850,000 fishing vessels operating in the region (in 2015) and regional production volume representing 22% of the world’s fish and fishery production. Recognizing the international attention on IUU fishing, there is an urgent concern for the ASEAN region to take a leading role in ensuring that the world’s fish and fishery supply chain could be free of IUU fishing practices. Therefore, the ASEAN Member States (AMSs) need to strengthen their activities to combat IUU fishing. In cooperation among AMSs, several measures could be implemented, such as 1) promoting responsible fishing practices, 2) avoiding the depletion of fish stocks and the destruction of the marine ecosystem, 3) improving legal frameworks, 4) upgrading systems of monitoring, control, and surveillance (MCS), and 5) adopting fair labor practices. More importantly, the capacity development of national fisheries officers in AMSs is urgently needed in the implementation of these measures.

Regarding trans-boundary fisheries resources in the region, it is essential to cooperate among AMSs and promote countermeasures at the regional level to combat IUU fishing. Therefore, the challenge in IUU fishing has been continuously underscored by the ASEAN leaders and government officials, as indicated in the “ASEAN Leaders’ Vision for Resilient and Innovative ASEAN” adopted in 2018 that calls for the expansion of regional cooperation to address the issue of IUU fishing. The “Joint ASEAN-SEAFDEC Declaration on Regional Cooperation for Combating IUU Fishing and Enhancing the Competitiveness of ASEAN Fish and Fishery Products” adopted in 2016 also aims to strengthen efforts in implementing regional initiatives to combat IUU fishing.

Therefore, ASEAN has been actively engaged in relevant activities including developing various common policies and regional guidelines in cooperation with partners to address the issues on IUU fishing. The ASEAN Secretariat in cooperation with SEAFDEC under the regional ASEAN-SEAFDEC Fisheries Consultative Group Mechanism (FCG) framework has been addressing concerns on IUU fishing by focusing on the development of common policies, guidelines and countermeasure tools for the region. Under the agreement on technical cooperation between ASEAN and the Government of Japan (the ASEAN-JICA cooperation framework), the first regional project on capacity building to combat IUU fishing in Southeast Asia was initiated and proposed.

Under this project, direct/immediate beneficiaries are staff of government agencies concerned in AMSs who will attend the training courses. Indirect beneficiaries are the AMSs and the other countries as well as fishers, other stakeholders and the consumers in general who will be benefited from the improved management of fisheries resources.

Under a series of planned capacity development activities, workshops/meetings/training are open to both men and women to participate in. There is an equal opportunity for men and women. Women and men would equally benefit from the project.

4.1 Logical Framework 

AMSs’ understanding of the practices and actions necessary to deter IUU fishing improved

Responsible fishing technologies
and practices to combat IUU fishing are promoted.

Activity 1.1: 
Training course on responsible fishing technologies/practices to combat IUU fishing in Southeast Asia

The capacity of AMSs to combat
IUU fishing activities is enhanced through effective management tools of traceability for fish and fishery products

Activity 2.1: Training course on human resource development on traceability for fish and fishery products for eliminating IUU fishing

Activity 2.2: On-site training on traceability for fish and fishery products for relevant stakeholders in AMSs

Policy measures to combat IUU Fishing are enhanced in AMSs

Activity 3.1: Regional capacity building workshop on enhancing policies and countermeasures against IUU fishing in Southeast Asia

Activity 3.2: Training course for fisheries inspectors in the implementation of Port State Measures