Abstract
Records and registries are used domestically and internationally as important tools of management and enforcement. Over the past fifteen years there have been numerous calls for an international record of all fishing vessels in the global fishing fleet. These calls have been raised in the past as a response to re-flagging of vessels; managing migratory and straddling fish stocks; and fishing fleet overcapacity. However, since the 2005 Ministerially-led Task Force on illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing on the high seas, there has been a new, louder call for a global record of all fishing vessels, refrigerated vessels and fishing support vessels. Such a record is seen to be a vital tool in the international fight against IUU fishing. This article will consider both the problem of IUU fishing and the Global Record proposed by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisations (FAO) as a remedial tool to address IUU fishing.