Phil Heatley

Wellington, Dec 18 NZPA - New Zealand has signed an international agreement designed to prevent illegally caught fish being landed in ports, fisheries Minister Phil Heatley says.

The United Nations agreement on the elimination of illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU) is the first legally binding international treaty dealing with the problem, Mr Heatley said today.

Its measures apply to vessels from the time they request entry to a port until they leave it and include denying entry and inspections.

Mr Heatley said IUU fishing undermined efforts to conserve and manage fish stocks, as well as impacting on social and economic opportunities, food security and the environment.

"As a world leader in fisheries management, we take our international duties and responsibilities very seriously," he said.

"This is a significant step in the evolution of legally binding rules to combat IUU fishing. The scale of the problem internationally is huge."

Mr Heatley said the global value of IUU fishing was estimated at between $6 billion and $13 billion.

"To put this in perspective from a New Zealand point of view, it represents between four and 10 times the value of our annual seafood exports."