Human Rights at Sea (HRAS) and the Association of Professional Observers (APO)has issued the latest advocacy publication and report focusing on raising public, regional and international awareness around fisheries observers’ safety, security and wellbeing and the associated fundamental individual protections required while working at sea.
This work is supported by the Sustainable Fisheries and Community Trust, Blue Marine Foundation, CHIRP Maritime, APOCM and the International Pole and Line Foundation.
The report has an EU focus with related incident highlights but has wider international application, key recommendations and annexes covering the provision of secure two-way communications and the call for recognition of observers as having a professional role in law.
This independent report has been socialised with the European Commission through DG MARE, civil society organisations and crucially, has been contributed to by multiple EU-based observers, managers and professional associations. DG MARE has voluntarily provided comment which is embedded in the report.
The report has been triggered by a confirmed April 2023 at-sea incident of alleged harassment and subsequent evacuation of a Portuguese fisheries observer from a Portuguese fishing vessel operating in the North Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) regulatory area.
It further takes account of a past 2021 incident whereby another Portuguese observer was evacuated from a NAFO Portuguese-flagged fishing vessel for reported infringement relating to instances of interference and intimidation on board.
The third and most recent incident involves the ongoing investigation into the unexplained death at sea of another Portuguese observer in June 2023 on a Portuguese-flagged vessel fishing off the coast of Argentina and operating out of the port of Montevideo, Uruguay. At the time of writing, DG MARE have stated in response to this incident that, “DG MARE services reported that, pending the outcome of the investigation on this fatal incident, the flag Member State authorities have clarified to DG MARE that the observer was a scientific observer without control tasks, and were not aware of threats to the observer”. This incident remains under investigation at state and EU level.
These three incidents reinforce civil society and observer association concerns around observer safety, security and wellbeing. This has triggered the issuing of urgent recommendations in the report to be considered and acted upon by state, regional and global Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (RFMO) authorities.