COMPLETION of protocols for the "vessels of interest" list, which the ENFO chief declined to characterise as a "blacklist, " culminated from a two-year effort.

Says US Coast Guard Capt. Mike Cerne: "This concept of a black list has held up a lot of RFMO's (regional fisheries management organisations) from moving forward.

"For us to have reached consensus on that allows us to move forward and start posting our current and historical information so we have one repository for every party's vessels of interest. I think it is going to help."

The terms of reference define a vessel of interest as one sighted in the treaty area that is fishing, appears to be equipped with driftnet gear, is supporting fishing, "is reasonably suspected of having engaged in fishing . . . that could adversely affect the conservation of anadromous stocks, " or has previous history of any of these activities in the treaty area.

Any of the five member states can put a vessel on the list, with all available identification and other relevant information and their reason for the listing. Other members "shall" add any other information they obtain about the vessel.

For vessels flying the flag of an NPAFC member, once the reasons it was listed are resolved to the satisfaction of the listing party, the flag state can request its removal.

If there is no evidence of IUU fishing, the vessel will be removed.

A vessel not registered to a member country remains on the list until the listing member removes it.

Any vessel tried and convicted of violating terms of the treaty, or that is currently prevented by its national laws from fishing operations, also remains on the list.

Says Mike Cerne "There were concerns by some of the parties over how we were going to control what vessels actually got put on to this list. They were concerned about their country's flag vessels being put on a list that would raise attention toward those vessels from an investigative enforcement perspective."

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How the new listing process operates