ITLOS Issues Advisory Opinion regarding Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing Activities (April 2, 2015) [1]
On April 2, 2015, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea issued its advisory opinion [3] regarding illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities. The opinion, which was delivered in response to a March 2013 inquiry [4] by the Sub-Regional Fisheries Commission, addressed the obligations and liabilities of flag states in cases where IUU fishing activities are conducted by vessels sailing under their flags and “within the Exclusive Economic Zone of third party States;” assignment of liability in cases where a license is “issued to a vessel within the framework of an international agreement with the flag State or with an international agency;” and “the rights and obligations of the coastal State in ensuring the sustainable management of shared stocks and stocks of common interest.” According to the press release [5], this is “the first time in the history of the [Tribunal] that an advisory opinion is being rendered by the full Tribunal.”