The Patagonian toothfish is mainly caught in pristine waters of the Southern Ocean and is a prized restaurant fish by countries across the world. Tracking where and to who it is being sold is important to help protect the toothfish species from depletion.
As a member country of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), Australia works with other member countries with the objective of ‘conserving Antarctic marine life’.
Earlier this month two Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) Fisheries Officers joined nine countries and INTERPOL for a ‘Catch Documentation Scheme’ (CDS) workshop in Singapore. Implemented in 2000, the CDS is a web-based system that tracks toothfish from the area it was caught to the point of landing then onwards throughout the trade cycle.
The CDS is required to be used for the landing and/or trade of all toothfish whether caught inside or outside the Convention Area. The implementation of CDS is required by contracting parties to CCAMLR, however non contracting parties may also adopt the system on a voluntary basis. The importance of having it implemented in south east Asia lies in the ability to identify and prevent illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) toothfish being landed in these south east Asian ports. Being able to track toothfish trade enables CCAMLR to identify where toothfish is being exported/re-exported and subsequently identify areas or markets that might be high risk with regard to the IUU trade of toothfish.
Through the CDS, CCAMLR has identified that several Asian nations trade in toothfish. The workshop, that AFMA’s Senior Manager of Compliance Operations John Davis helped run, was extremely informative and valuable in the facilitation of ongoing efforts to encourage voluntary implementation of the CDS across the South East Asia region.
Read more in the CCAMLR issued statement: CCAMLR workshop in Singapore promotes voluntary implementation of the Catch Documentation Scheme for Dissostichus spp.