“Transshipment” is the process of transferring fish or fish products at sea or in port, either from one fishing vessel to another fishing vessel — or to a vessel used solely for the carriage of cargo — for further transport.

In tonnes, tuna and tuna-like species were the third-largest seafood catch to be transshipped at sea, according to data published in a 2020 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) report.

But gaps persist — particularly in the RFMO regulation of at-sea transshipment, including the types of data collected, the level of monitoring, and data-reporting recipients and timelines. These gaps can increase the likelihood of illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities, including mis-reporting of catches and overfishing, which undermine effective fisheries management.

At ISSF, we are helping to improve tuna transshipment policies, practices, monitoring, and compliance — through our conservation measures for seafood companies and vessels, best practices research, RFMO benchmarking analysis, and advocacy outreach.

If flag States and RFMOs do not comprehensively regulate and monitor transshipment in their regions, vessels have more opportunity to engage in IUU fishing activities — and evade detection — when catches are transferred in the middle of the ocean.

Rigorous government and RFMO management measures — that is, rules that address fishing activity, data collection, observer coverage, vessel monitoring systems, port state inspections, authorized vessel lists, and much more — are critical for preventing illegally caught fish from entering the global supply chain.

Without that link, the vessel owner or operator has less accountability, and the flag state is less likely, or less able, to exercise proper control over the vessel’s activities.

In addition, if fishing vessels are not well monitored and compelled to document their transshipments properly, important data for RFMO and government fisheries oversight are lost or compromised — including, most fundamentally, the type, size, and location of their catch. 

Requiring vessels to collect and provide accurate transshipment data does more than enable authorities to track vessel compliance: It ensures “product traceability” in the seafood supply chain. It also allows scientists to assess stock health, which in turn helps to inform RFMO decisions on fishing limits.

Given these many risks, tuna transshipment must be well regulated and well monitored by RFMOs and national governments.

Some RFMOs have made important improvements to the regulation of at-sea transshipment in recent years. But more work is needed.

As a result of growing transshipment, it has become even more imperative for RFMOs to better oversee and regulate this type of activity in their regions. 

To support tuna RFMOs in that effort, ISSF has identified opportunities for improvement in their current transshipment measures.

While the best practices we recommend below are focused on at-sea transshipment, several of them can also improve transshipment when it takes place in port.

To strengthen their at-sea transshipment policies to prevent IUU activities and overfishing, RFMOs should follow these best practices, which are detailed in ISSF reports and other resources:

In these and other ways, seafood companies, food retailers, NGOs, and other sustainable-fishing stakeholders can join ISSF in pushing for better oversight of tuna transshipment:

ISSF researches and analyzes RFMO and government policies and regulations on transshipment and many other issues in sustainable fishing.

Visit the ISSF site to explore our scientific and advocacy publications, blogs, infographics, and more.