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VESSEL DATA AND INFORMATION:

The Chair's paper identifies a series of data required on vessels, including: 1. vessel identification and type; 2. vessel specification, e.g., engine power, length, tonnage, hold capacity, storage methods, etc.; 3. navigation and position-fixing aids; 4. communication equipment; 5. ownership, flag State, home port, etc.; 6. construction details, vessel age, hull material, etc.; 7. crew size and composition; and 8. type of fishing gear, quantity and specification. The measures that met with the greatest degree of consensus were those most related to the catch (1, 2, 5 and 8). The other measures were seen by some as irrelevant to the harvesting capacity. Some nations argued that the crew had little, if any, impact on the harvesting capacity. Others answered that the crew, in fact, could influence the amount of catch. Navigation and position-fixing aids were also discarded as more relevant to the application of the SOLAS Convention than for the sake of data gathering. A recurrent theme was the necessity to avoid the duplication of data already gathered. A few delegates pointed out that their national licensing systems gather more precise information. Some concern was voiced with regard to vessels fishing without flags or under flags of convenience and how they should be treated. A proposal was made that advocated distinguishing between data required at all times and data required as soon as the vessel enters the fishing ground.