"First Global Illegal Fishing Treaty Agreed: UN"

"Rome -- A group of 91 countries have agreed on a treaty that will block ships involved in illegal fishing from entering signatory ports and thus help prevent the fish going to market, the UN said on Tuesday.

The UN's Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) hailed the agreement to prevent, deter and eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing as "the first ever global treaty focused specifically on the problem."

New measures include requiring foreign fishing vessels to request permission to enter port ahead of time, informing the authorities of their fish cargo, as well as committing signatories to regular inspections of foreign ships.

Illegal fishing accounts for 14 percent of all fish caught in the world, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature."

AFP had the story Sept. 1, 2009.