The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2020

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THE STATE OF WORLD FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE 
2020
The Global Record of Fishing Vessels, Refrigerated 
Transport Vessels and Supply Vessels (Global Record) 
is a global repository of State-validated data on 
vessels involved in fishing operations. The main 
objective of the Global Record is to increase 
transparency and traceability (and support risk 
assessments of vessels involved in fishing activities) in 
order to prevent, deter and eliminate illegal, 
unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities 
within the framework of existing international 
instruments, including the Agreement on Port State 
Measures to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, 
Unreported and Unregulated Fishing (PSMA).
Inclusion of a vessel in the Global Record requires it 
to have an International Maritime Organization (IMO) 
number. The IMO numbering scheme was originally 
drafted for cargo vessels and passenger ships, but its 
extension to include fishing vessels
1
has permitted for 
the first time a global unique vessel identifier scheme 
for such vessels. The IMO number stays with the vessel 
from construction to scrapping, regardless of 
re-flagging of the vessel, thus improving identification 
and traceability of the vessel and its information. 
Since the release of the Global Record 
Information System at the Thirty-third Session of 
the Committee on Fisheries (July 2018),