Malaysia, Indian Ocean - Swordfish - Longline

The Malaysian Swordfish fishery is governed by the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC), with actions implemented by the Government of Malaysia. The FIP for this fishery began in 2018 and has made significant governance improvements since. Efforts between 2018 and 2020 were focused on electronic reporting and monitoring for better control of the fishery’s catch; for example, Malaysia participated in the Regional Observer Program for carrier vessels and fishing vessels to monitor transshipment at sea, and the Department of Fisheries in Malaysia has installed CCTV on every vessel. These are major achievements that increase oversight of the fishery tremendously and represent a considerable score increase on Principle 3 (Governance) of the Marine Stewardship Council standard, compliance and enforcement (3.2.3). 

In 2021 the major FIP action, in addition to regular catch reporting, will be to review vessel practices against the requirements in the applicable IOTC resolutions for mitigating risks to ETP species.