EU Report Accuses Panama Of Failing To Cooperate Against IUU ff

Source: Capital

The European Commission (EC) issued a report accusing Panama of not cooperating to prevent illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, therefore foreseeing huge economic losses for the country if the subject is not resolved successfully.

The EC report was presented last September 27th to be put to a vote in Brussels under the Fisheries Committee, which was attended by the administrator of the Water Resources Authority (ARAP), Giovanni Lauri Carreti. The report indicates that -according to evidence gathered- it is confirmed that “Panama has not fulfilled its obligations under international law with regard to the necessary effective enforcement measures.”

According to a questionnaire sent by Financial Capital to ARAP regarding the EC accusations of lack of cooperation, the  agency said that “Panama is not considered as a non-cooperating country; it is audited all year round and reports are issued to this effect; furthermore, there has been good progress made in terms of fishing regulations in the country.”

However, according to the European authorities, a number of IUU fishing vessels with Panamanian flag of which had the flag of Panama when they were included in the IUU lists of the Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs). The existence of such IUU vessels “reveals the breach Panama’s in regarding to the vessels flying its flag on the high seas as stated in Article 18, paragraphs 1 and 2 of the United Nations Agreement on resource stocks.”

The report further reveals that “on the basis of information collected during the June 2010 mission, it cannot be considered that the Panamanian authorities lack the appropriate financial resources, but rather legal and administrative settings, as well as the capacity to fulfill its obligations.”

It is also reported that the “the European Union allocated funds for a specific program of assistance in connection with the fight against IUU fishing and that Panama has benefited from this program.”

When asked ARAP about the defense mechanisms that Panama was to present before the EC, the entity’s response was blunt: “Complying with European Union regulations.”

An industry source said that the report virtually opens the door to an imminent sanction for Panama, affecting exports of the international fishing fleet, the output of all reefer vessels working to bring product to Europe, the national fishery products going to Europe, and of course, the output of the fishing fleet that met all the commitments that have to pay for the mistakes of others.

Moreover, this would also affect the people who provide services to these fishing vessels.

The source stressed that no marine product originating from Panama, from vessels or production plants would be able to export  to the European Union if Panama was included in the list of non-cooperating third countries against IUU fishing.

Other short falls encountered by the EC and reflected in the report presented in Brussels is Panama’s failure to submit statistics as per recommendations of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT).

The agency noted that Panama had not submitted the necessary data and information, such as the annual report, the Task I data (fleet statistics) had been submitted past due time and the Task II data (catch sizes) had either been submitted after the deadline or were not sent at all, nor had the frame on compliance been sent. Moreover, the management measures of large tuna longliners has not been sent to the Secretary of ICCAT.