Southern Indian Ocean Fisheries Agreement

The Southern Indian Ocean Fisheries Agreement (SIOFA) is a legally-binding treaty with the objective of ensuring the long-term conservation and sustainable use of non-highly migratory fish stocks in the high seas of the southern Indian Ocean. The text of the treaty was adopted in 2006 and its entry into force requires the deposition of an instrument of ratification with the depositary (FAO) by four States or regional economic integration organisations, two of which must be coastal States in the SIOFA area.

Background

In 1999-2000, stocks of orange roughy were discovered in the high seas of the southern Indian Ocean. There were no cooperative management arrangements in place to manage the stocks and consequently the stocks were significantly depleted by unregulated fishing activities. Fishing in the high seas of the southern Indian Ocean is now based on alfonsino and boar fish, which are less susceptible to overexploitation but harder to fish and with lower market values than orange roughy.

SIOFA establishes a mechanism for Contracting Parties to manage and conserve non-highly migratory fishery resources in the high seas of the southern Indian Ocean. The Agreement promotes the long-term conservation and sustainable use of fisheries resources in this area through applying principles such as the precautionary approach, ecosystem based approaches to fisheries management and effective monitoring, control and surveillance measures to ensure compliance.

Once in force, decision on matters of substance will be discussed at the annual meeting of parties, with decisions to be made by consensus and will be binding on all members. 

The functions of the Meeting of the Parties will include reviewing the state of fishery resources, promoting research and cooperation, adopting generally recommended international minimum standards for fishing, developing rules and procedures for monitoring of compliance by vessels and developing measures to prevent, deter and eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.

To date, three States (European Union, Mauritius and the Seychelles) have deposited an instrument of ratification, acceptance or approval of SIOFA to the depository. The Cook Islands has deposited an instrument of accession, which as it is neither a signatory of the Agreement nor a coastal state bordering the Area, the effective date of accession will be thirty days following the entry into force. Entry into force requires the deposition of an instrument of ratification with the depositary (FAO) by four States or regional economic integration organisations, two of which must be coastal States in the SIOFA area.

Fisheries Issues and Impact in Australia

Fish stocks of the Southern Indian Ocean are important to the Australian fishing industry and some of these stocks that will fall under SIOFA’s mandate straddle the Australian exclusive economic zone. As a coastal State, it is important for Australia to ensure consistent and responsible management arrangements are used across the Indian Ocean to safeguard the interests of industries that harvest these stocks. Ratification of the Agreement would provide Australia with the means to influence regional management measures adopted in SIOFA, ensuring that these measures are compatible with Australia’s domestic management arrangements  and securing access for the Australian fishing industry to commercially-valuable fisheries resources in the area. Australia has also played a key role internationally in promoting strengthened environmental standards for fishing on the high seas and the Agreement provides the regional decision-making forum through which these will be implemented.

Regional Engagement

The Agreement provides a cooperative management framework for Contracting Parties to develop arrangements to effectively manage fisheries resources within the Area. It draws upon the principles of sustainable use, long-term conservation, ecosystem based fisheries management, the precautionary approach and effective monitoring, control and surveillance, which are fundamental to responsible fishing practices.

Once in force, SIOFA will apply to non-highly migratory fish stocks in the high seas of the southern Indian Ocean. It is likely that some stocks that fall under SIOFA’s mandate may straddle Australia’s waters.