Vessels Must Report Movements Every 4 Hours if Tracking Devices Are Off, Upon Ministry Instruction

The regulation on planning, managing, and monitoring tuna fisheries has been amended to require vessels to report their movements every four hours if their installed tracking devices are turned off, upon instruction from the Fisheries Ministry.

The amendment to Article 20(b) of the regulation on planning, managing, and monitoring tuna fisheries was published in the government gazette today and has now come into effect.

The amendment states that if the Vessel Locating Device (VLD) installed on a licensed fishing vessel is turned off for any reason, or if the Ministry informs the vessel operator or captain that the vessel's GPS position is not visible to the Ministry, the vessel's location must be reported to the Ministry.

Accordingly, the amendment states that upon the Ministry's instruction, the vessel's location (including latitude and longitude), speed, and movement information must be sent every four hours in a manner determined by the Ministry.