WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  TN/RL/GEN/167 
20 September 2010 
 (10-4718) 
Negotiating Group on Rules Original:   English 
  
 
FISHERIES SUBSIDIES—ARTICLES I, II, V AND VI 
 
Communication from Australia
 
  
 The following communication, dated 16 September 2010, is being circulated at the request of 
the Delegation of Australia.    
_______________ 
  
Introduction 
 
1. Australia continues to attach the greatest importance to a meaningful and ambitious outcome in the fisheries subsidies negotiations.  Australia supports the current draft text of November 2007 as 
enabling a suitable level of ambition and structure to  disciplines on fisheries subsidies.  Australia 
considers that the "roadmap" process was a useful exercise both in exploring in a deeper way the 
views of Members but also in allowing Members to elaborate on their respective views on elements of a possible outcome in this area.  By submitting th is proposal, Australia seeks to highlight areas where 
further technical, text-based intensive work is required by the Group and to generate further 
constructive discussion on possible solutions. 
 
2. Australia has reflected further on the draft te xt before Members and in line with securing an 
ambitious outcome in these negotiations, proposes th e addition of a new category of subsidy which 
should be prohibited.  Australia also sets out some further views on areas of the current text where the 
concepts could be clarified or impr oved.  In doing so, Australia has retained the current draft text on 
the basis that we continue to believe that this  architecture forms a good basis for further in-depth 
negotiations.   
 
Destructive fishing practices  
 
3. Australia considers that there are a number of  current fishing practices which have a serious 
adverse impact on high seas fisheries and habitats.  In particular, Australia has concerns over the 
impacts of fishing practices, including bottom trawling and large-scale drift-nets, including on the high seas, which have destructive impacts on vulnerab le marine ecosystems.  Permitting the continued 
subsidisation of these practices in our view woul d not be consistent with  our mandate.  Australia 
therefore proposes that a further category of subs idy should be included in the list of prohibited 
fisheries-specific subsidies.   
 4. Australia has taken a strong position in other fora in relation to international commitments on 
sustainable fisheries.  Destructive fishing practices have long been recognised  to be harmful to the 
sustainability of the world's oceans.  In 2007, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) adopted Resolution 
61/105 of 8 December 2006 on sustainable fisheries including in relation to adopting and 
implementing measures regulating bottom fisheries.  This was reaffirmed in UNGA Resolution 64/72 
of 4 December 2009.  The South Pacific Regiona l Fisheries Management Organisation (SPRFMO) TN/RL/GEN/167 
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  preliminarily agreed in November 2009 on an inte rim measure which limits bottom fishing and bans 
the use of deepwater gillnets in the SPRFMO Convention area.    5. Australia proposes that subsidies which s upport destructive fishing practices should be 
prohibited.  The structure of a new category of pr ohibited fisheries subsidy would be similar to the 
current draft Article I.1(h) prohibition relating to subsidies provided to any vessel engaged in illegal, 
unreported or unregulated fishing.   6. We consider such an approach would be c onsistent with the approach taken for similar 
existing provisions under the General Exceptions in  Article II which allow only subsidies which are 
aimed at reducing the environmental impact of marine  wild capture fishing.  We consider the proposal 
by the United States in TN/RL/GEN165 proposing a new Article II(b) highlights this well.  
Textual Clarifications:  General Exceptions  
 7. Australia proposes some suggested clarificati ons to the language contained within Article I 
relating to references to subsidies.  The proposed textual clarifications and amendments to Article I 
seek to ensure internal consistency with the existing Subsidies Agreement.  In our view, the text needs 
to distinguish between subsidies and the benefit of  a subsidy (which is an element of its legal 
character).  
8. Certain types of fisheries subsidies may be bene ficial to fish stocks and are therefore included 
in the General Exceptions of the current draft text.  These subsidies include income support for 
fishworkers to exit the industry or subsidi es for vessel decommissioning and capacity reduction 
(which may be required, for example, to create mari ne protected areas).  However, there is also a risk 
that these subsidies could lead to overcapacity  or over-fishing, such as income support which 
encourages fishworkers to remain in the industry or vessel decommissioning which results in boats 
fishing in another part of the world.  The rules on these exceptions therefore need to be elaborated and 
clarified to ensure that Members are not discour aged from providing good subsidies while also 
ensuring that these subsidies do not create overcapacity  or over-fishing.  For example, in our proposed 
changes below, we highlight the need to separate vessel decommissioning and capacity reduction into 
two separate exceptions with more targeted conditions.   
 
• Income support /personnel costs :  In relation to the inclusion of subsidies for early retirement 
or permanent cessation of employment of fishworkers (covered under Article II(c)(2), 
Australia supports consideration of the placement  and clarification of the scope of the term 
"personnel costs" under Article I.1(c).  Australia proposes clarifying the prohibition of "income support" under Article I.1(e).  The pr oposed language means that support for staying 
in the industry and encouraging fishing effort would be prohibited but support for exiting the 
industry would fall outside this definition.   
 
• Governmental activities, including R&D :  Australia sees merit in clarifying that certain 
governmental activities, including R&D in certa in strict circumstances and governmental 
services related to fisheries management syst ems could be included as general exceptions or 
at least by way of footnote to state that these measures do not constitute subsidies for the 
purposes of the Annex VIII.  The addition of a footnote to Article V 
1 is proposed but 
Australia is open to the appropriate placement  of such a provision within the Annex (for 
                                                      
1 While the proposed textual amendments are based on document TN/RL/W/213, we believe the 
proposed revised text from the United States (contained in document TN/RL/GEN/165) clarifies the structure 
and commitments under Article V.  TN/RL/GEN/167 
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  example, within Article II).  The proposed te xt has drawn on New Zealand's textual proposal 
(contained in document TN/RL/GEN/141)  on non-prohibited subsidies.   
 
• Vessel decommissioning and capacity reduction programmes :  In relation to Article II(d), 
Australia supports the inclusion of subsidies for vessel decommissioning or capacity 
reduction programmes within the scope of the ge neral exceptions in Article II(d).  Australia 
also agrees that any vessel subject to a subs idy for decommissioning has to be permanently 
removed from the industry.  However, we consid er that there needs to be some improvement 
to the clarity of the current draft text.  We cons ider that there needs to be a distinction in the 
text between vessel decommissioning progr ammes and broader capacity reduction 
programmes, which may not be associated with the decommissioning of vessels.   
 
9. Firstly, Australia considers that because the st ructure and language of the current draft text of 
Article II(d) does not make a distinction between  vessel decommissioning programmes and capacity 
reduction programmes, it is therefore unclear whether a subsidy programme must contain the elements listed under sub-paragra phs (1) through (4) or whether this provision describes subsidy 
programmes which may contain these elements.  Austra lia considers that some of the conditions under 
Article II(d) do not reflect the complexity of the indus try and may need to be worded more carefully.   
 10. Secondly, in Australia's view, in drawi ng a distinction between vessel decommissioning 
programmes and capacity reduction programmes, the text needs to be clear that vessel decommissioning programmes should result in the decommissioning of the vessel and may not have 
an impact on licences.  [We note Footnote 6 of the US proposed revised text contained in 
TN/RL/GEN/165 would seem to provide a broad de finition of "vessel decommissioning programme" 
to include capacity reduction programmes.]  On th e other hand, a capacity reduction programme may 
relate to simply revoking licences (and these licences would only apply to the territorial waters of the 
Member).  For example, a buyout of licences or fishi ng effort may relate to multiple licences.  It is not 
uncommon for a fishworker to hold multiple licences and operate only one vessel.  A fisher may still 
use the vessel to fish under licences that ha ve not been sold or surrendered.  Thus,  requiring the 
relinquishment of vessels associated with licenses may be impractical  (Article II(d)2-3).  It is 
therefore unclear how the criterion for scrapping a v essel under Article II(d)(1) – which is relevant to 
vessel decommissioning programmes – can be applie d as a relevant criterion for capacity reduction 
programmes. 
 
11. Thirdly,  It is unclear why a Member should be pe rmitted only to subsidize capacity reduction 
programmes which include obligations about d ecommissioning vessels and harvesting rights in 
accordance with Article II(d)(1).  It should be acceptable to subs idise capacity reduction programmes 
that do not provide for vessel decommissioning, ther eby not restricting Members' efforts to reduce 
capacity (which may have a beneficial impact on the su stainability of the fishing effort).  Australia is 
mindful that  the dual purpose of capacity reduction progra mmes is to ensure fishing activities are 
ecologically sustainable (which may involve meas ures to address over-fishing and rebuilding of fish 
stocks to sustainable levels that would allow resu mption of fishing) and to manage the impacts of 
fishing on marine ecosystems.  Therefore, strict conditions would need to apply to capacity reduction 
programmes  in order to ensure the reduction in overall catch.  Fishers would need to be prevented 
from acquiring the fishing rights of foregone licences, thereby ensuring catch reduction.  Australia is 
open to discussing possible solutions.  A possible mech anism could set time limits for medium term 
departure (say 5 years) from the industry with some restrictions on future re-acquiring of licences/quotas.   
 TN/RL/GEN/167 
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  Notifications, Surveillance and Peer Review 
 
12. Notifications, surveillance and peer review are important elements of the text to ensure the 
overall outcome on fisheries subsidies is effect ive.  Australia proposes some minor textual 
amendments to clarify (i) the various notification requirements; (ii) the peer review provisions; and 
(iii) further transparency measures.   
 13. Notifications:   The notification process will be a vital element of the Fisheries Annex.  
Australia considers that there should be a requirement  in the notification process to indicate applicable 
domestic legislation and any intern ational standards including those related to other organisations. 
 
14. Australia considers that the WTO should make use of fisheries expertise which resides elsewhere.  The WTO's competency should relate to  ensuring that Members comply with the subsidy 
disciplines set down in the proposed Annex.  That re quires information on the programs in order to be 
able to assess the type of program and whether it meets the criteria in either Article II or Article III. 
 
15. In Australia's view, while regional or intern ational organisations may assist in fulfilling for 
example a fisheries management requirement, it woul d still be incumbent on an individual Member to 
ensure that its obligations are fulfilled and notifie d to the Subsidies Committee.  We envisage that 
Members would need to notify that they are me mbers of a regional organisation which requires 
implementation of management or other obligations  and would need to outline that it has domestic 
structure/programs/measures in place to comply with  the regional organisation.  Where relevant, 
Members would need to indicate in a notificati on to the Subsidies Committee whether (i) a peer 
review has been conducted by a relevant ins titutional body (either FAO or other competent 
organization), and (ii) whether the peer review c oncluded positively with relation to the fisheries 
management of the species being subsidised, and whet her this is consistent with criteria established 
under Article II, IV and V of the Chair's text. 
 16. Peer Review:   There are different provisions within the Chair's text relating to peer reviews, 
specifically Article III.2(b)(3), Article V.1 and Ar ticle VI.  These peer review provisions require 
different types of notifications and reviews.  We consider there would be merit in further discussion 
on the inter-relationship of these provisions.   
 
17. Australia considers that the peer review should not
 be shifted to the WTO.  In our view, the 
WTO has no competence to conduct peer reviews on Me mbers' fisheries management plans.  Rather, 
the role would be to ensure th at the subsidizing Member has the necessary fisheries management in 
place and the specific obligations or conditionalities are met.  The peer review under Article V.1 
would require a notification relating to any relevant  fisheries management legislation or mechanisms, 
including any modification of mechanisms or legislation and whether a peer review has been undertaken by the FAO or other releva nt international organisation.   
 18. Article VI.4 clarifies that notifications made to other organisations as well as documents 
related to the reviews conducted by those organisati ons are to be included in a notification to the 
WTO.  Australia agrees with the approach in Article  VI.4 and considers that this should not impose an 
additional burden on Members, given the documen tation has already been submitted to another 
organisation.  However, the current text is unclear  as to whether the WTO need s to be notified of the 
fact that fisheries management systems required under Article V have been peer reviewed in the FAO.  
We acknowledge that there is an appropriate cross- reference to Article VI.4 in Article V but this 
should be clarified through the use of the same language in Article VI.4. 
 19. Additional Transparency Provisions:   Currently Article VI.5 of the Chair's text provides the 
right to Members to request information on notified subsidies.  It also refers to Article 25.9.  
However, we do not consider that this adequately  provides for Members to request information about  TN/RL/GEN/167 
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  any subsidy provided by another Member, not just th e "notified subsidies" as it is currently expressed 
in Article VI.5.    20. We consider that Article 25.8 of the Subs idies Agreement, whereby any Member may request 
information on the nature and extent of a s ubsidy provided by another Member that may not
 have 
been notified, should also be included in Annex VIII.  Further, Article VI.6 already appears to provide 
for this at least as it relates to IUU fishing as it enables another WTO Member to bring IUU fishing activities to the attention of the Committee. TN/RL/GEN/167 
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TEXTUAL PROPOSAL – ARTICLES I, II, V AND VI 
 
(Amendments are in bold and strikethrough text based on TN/RL/W/213 
of 30 November 2007) 
 
ANNEX VIII
 
 
FISHERIES SUBSIDIES  
 
Article I  
 
Prohibition of Certain Fisheries Subsidies  
 
I.1 Except as provided for in Articles II and III, or in the exceptional case of natural disaster 
relief2, the following subsidies within the meaning of pa ragraph 1 of Article 1, to the extent they are 
specific within the meaning of paragrap h 2 of Article 1, shall be prohibited:  
 
 (a) Subsidies the benefits of which are conferred on  for the acquisition, construction, 
repair, renewal, renovation, m odernization, or any other modification of fishing vessels3 or service 
vessels4, including subsidies to boat building or  shipbuilding facilities for these purposes.  
 
 (b) Subsidies the benefits of  which are conferred  on transfer of fishing or service 
vessels to third countries, including through the creation of joint enterprises with third country 
partners.  
 
 (c) Subsidies the benefits of which are conferred  on operating costs of fishing or 
service vessels (including licence fees or si milar charges, fuel, ice, bait, personnel  , social charges, 
insurance, gear, and at-sea support); or of landi ng, handling or in- or near-port processing activities 
for products of marine wild capture fishing;  or subsidies to cover operating losses of such vessels or 
activities.  
 
 (d) Subsidies in respect of, or in the form of, port infrastructure or other physical port 
facilities exclusively or predominantly for activitie s related to marine wild capture fishing (for 
example, fish landing facilities, fish storage faciliti es, and in- or near-port fish processing facilities).  
 
 (e) Income support5 for natural or legal persons engage d in marine wild capture fishing.  
 
 (f) Price support for products of marine wild capture fishing.   
 
                                                      
2 Subsidies referred to in this provision shall not be prohibited when limited to the relief of a particular 
natural disaster, provided that the subsidies are directly re lated to the effects of that disaster, are limited to the 
affected geographic area, are time-limite d, and in the case of reconstruction subsidies, only restore the affected 
area, the affected fishery, an d/or the affected fleet to its pre-disaster state, up to a sustainable level of fishing 
capacity as established through a scien ce-based assessment of the post-disaster status of the fishery.  Any such 
subsidies are subject to the provisions of Article VI.  
3 For the purposes of this Agreement, the term "fishi ng vessels" refers to vessels used for marine wild 
capture fishing and/or on-board processing of the products thereof.  
4 For the purposes of this Agreement, the term "servi ce vessels" refers to vessels used to tranship the 
products of marine wild capture fishing from fishing ve ssels to on-shore facilities;  and vessels used for at-sea 
refuelling, provisioning and other servicing of fishing vessels.  
5 For the purposes of this Annex, the term "i ncome support" includes support for developing, 
increasing or maintaining active  or latent fishing effort.     TN/RL/GEN/167 
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   (g) Subsidies arising from the further transfer, by a payer Member government, of access 
rights that it has acquired from another Member govern ment to fisheries within the jurisdiction of 
such other Member.6 
 
Insert new category: 
 
 "Subsidies provided to any vessel engaged in fishing practices which have or may have 
significant adverse impacts on vulnerable ma rine ecosystems and habitats (including 
bottom fishing and large scale drift-net fishing) and which are not conducted in 
accordance with relevant provisions of intern ational instruments aimed at ensuring the 
sustainable use and conservation of marine species)." 
 
 (h) Subsidies the benefits of  which are con ferred on  provided to any vessel engaged in 
illegal, unreported or unregulated fishing.7 
 
I.2 In addition to the prohibitions listed in paragr aph 1, any subsidy referre d to in paragraphs 1 
and 2 of Article 1 the benefits of which are c onferred on any fishing vessel or fishing activity 
affecting fish stocks that are in an unequi vocally overfished conditi on shall be prohibited.  
 
Article II  
 
General Exceptions  
 
 Notwithstanding the provisions of Article I, and subject to the provision of Article V:  
 
......... 
 
 (d) Nothing in Article I shall preven t subsidies for vessel decommissioning 8  or capacity 
reduction programmes , provided that:  
   (1) the vessels subject to such programmes are scrapped or otherwise 
permanently and effectively prevented fr om being used for fishing anywhere 
in the world;  
 
  (2) the fish harvesting rights 9  associated with such vessels,  whether they are 
permits, licences, fish quotas or any other form of harvesting rights , are 
permanently revoked and may not be reassigned;  
 
  (3) the owners of such vessels, and the holders of such fish harvesting rights, are 
required to relinquish any claim associated with such vessels and harvesting 
rights  that could qualify such owners and holders  for any present or future 
harvesting rights in such fisheries;  and  
                                                      
6 Government-to-government payments for access to marine fisheries shall not be deemed to be 
subsidies within the meaning of this Agreement.  
7 The terms "illegal fishing", "unreported fishing" and "unregulated fishing" shall have the same 
meaning as in paragraph 3 of the International Plan of Action to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal Unreported 
and Unregulated Fishing of the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization.   
8 The term "vessel decommissioning programme " includes government assistance to vessel 
owners and license holders for the permanent retiremen t of vessels from fishing."  [text partly drawn 
from US proposed draft text contained in TN/RL/GEN/165]  
9 Throughout this Annex, the term "fish harvesting rights" include s permits, licences, fish quotas 
or any other form of harvesting rights.  TN/RL/GEN/167 
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  (4) the fisheries management system in place includes management control 
measures and enforcement mechanisms designed to prevent overfishing in 
the targeted fishery.  Such fisher y-specific measures may include limited 
entry systems, catch quotas, limits on fishing effort or allocation of exclusive 
quotas to vessels, individuals and/or groups, such as individual transferable 
quotas.  
 
Insert new category: 
 
 (e) Nothing in Article I shall preven t subsidies for capacity reduction 
programmes10, provided that:  
 
  (1) the fish harvesting rights that are the subject of the programme are 
permanently revoked and may not be reassigned;  
 
  (2) the holders of such fish harvestin g rights are required to relinquish any 
harvesting rights that could qualify such holders for any present or 
future harvesting rights in the fish ery to which the programme applies; 
and 
 
  (3) the fisheries management system  in place includes management control 
measures and enforcement mechanisms designed to prevent overfishing 
in the targeted fishery.  Such fi shery-specific measures may include 
limited entry systems, catch quotas, limits on fishing effort or allocation 
of exclusive quotas to vessels, individuals and/or groups, such as 
individual transferable quotas.  
 
…….. 
 
Article V  
 
Fisheries Management11 
 
V.1 Any Member granting or maintaining an y subsidy as referred to in Article II or 
Article III.2(b) shall operate a fisheries management system 12  regulating marine wild capture fishing 
within its jurisdiction, designed to prevent overfish ing.  Such management system shall be based on 
internationally-recognized best pr actices for fisheries management and conservation as reflected in the 
relevant provisions of international instruments aimed at ensuring the sustainable use and 
conservation of marine species, such as, inter alia , the Fish Stocks Agreement , the Code of Conduct , 
the Compliance Agreement , technical guidelines and plans of action (including criteria and 
precautionary reference points) for the implementa tion of these instruments, or other related or 
                                                      
10 The term "capacity reduction programme" in cludes the permanent retirement of fish 
harvesting rights from a specific fishery for the purposes of removing overcapacity from that fishery.  
11 Developing country Members shall be free to implement and operate these management 
requirements on a regional rather than a national basis provided that all of the requirements are fulfilled in 
respect of and by each Member in the region.   
12 For the purpose of this Annex, governmental activity  directly associated with the creation and 
implementation of fisheries management systems an d the enforcement of fisheries management rules 
shall not be deemed to be subsidies.  Such activity  could include research to inform fisheries management 
decision makers, including data co llection, surveys, data analysis and stock monitoring, sampling and 
assessment.   TN/RL/GEN/167 
 Page 9 
 
 
  successor instruments.  The system  shall include regular science-based stock assessment, as well as 
capacity and effort management measures, including  harvesting licences or fees;  vessel registries;  
establishment and allocation of fishing rights, or a llocation of exclusive quotas to vessels, individuals 
and/or groups, and related enfo rcement mechanisms;  species-specific quotas, seasons and other stock 
management measures; vessel monitoring which could include electronic tracking and on-board 
observers;  systems for reporting in a timely and reliable manner to the competent national authorities 
and relevant international organiza tions data on effort, catch and discar ds in sufficient detail to allow 
sound analysis;  and research and other measures re lated to conservation and stock maintenance and 
replenishment.  To this end, the Member shall a dopt and implement pertinent domestic legislation and 
administrative or judicial enforcement mechanisms.  It is desirable that such fisheries management 
systems be based on limited access privileges13.  Information as to the nature and operation of these 
systems, including the results of the stock assessmen ts performed, shall be no tified to the relevant 
body of the FAO, where it shall be subject to p eer review prior to the granting of the subsidy14.  
References for such legislation and mechanism, including for any modifications thereto , and that the 
systems have been notified and peer reviewed in the FAO, shall be notified to the Committee on 
Subsidies and Countervailing Measures ("the Committee" ) pursuant to the provisions of Article VI.4.  
 V.2 Each Member shall maintain an enquiry poi nt to answer all reasonable enquiries from other 
Members and from interested parties in other Members concerning its fisheries management system, 
including measures in place to address fishing capacity  and fishing effort, and the biological status of 
the fisheries in question.  Each Member shall no tify to the Committee contact information for this 
enquiry point pursuant to the provisions of Article VI.3bis .   
 
Article VI  
 
Notifications and Surveillance  
 
VI.1 Each Member shall notify to the Committee in  advance of its implementation any measure for 
which that Member invokes the provisions of Article II or Article III.2;  except that any subsidy for 
natural disaster relief15 shall be notified to the Committee without delay16.  In addition to the 
information notified pursuant to Article 25, any su ch notification shall contain sufficiently precise 
information to enable other Members to evaluate whether or not the conditions and criteria in the 
applicable provisions of Article II or Article III.2 are met.  
 VI.2 Each Member that is party to an agreement pursuant to which fishing rights are acquired by a 
Member government ("payer Member") from another Member government to fisheries within the 
jurisdiction of such other Member shall publish that  agreement, and shall notify to the Committee the 
publication references for it.  
 VI.3 The terms on which a payer Member transfer s fishing rights it has obtained pursuant to an 
agreement as referred to in para graph 2 shall be notified to the Committee by the payer Member in 
respect of each such agreement.   
 
                                                      
13 Limited access privileges could incl ude, as appropriate to a given fishery, community-based rights 
systems, spatial or territorial rights systems, or individual quota systems, including individual transferable 
quotas.   
14 If the Member in question is not a member of the FAO, the notification for peer review shall be to 
another relevant international organization.  The specific information to be notified shall be determined by the 
relevant body of the FAO or such other organization.   
15 As provided for in Article I.1 and footnote 77.  
16 For the purposes of this provision, "without delay"  shall mean not later than the date of entry into 
force of the programme, or in the case of an ad hoc  subsidy, the date of commitment of the subsidy.   TN/RL/GEN/167 
Page 10  
 
  VI.3bis  Each Member shall notify to the Co mmittee contact information for the enquiry 
point concerning its fisheries management system as referred to in Article V.2.  
 
VI.4 Each Member shall include in its notifi cations to the Committee the references for its 
applicable domestic legislation  and administrative procedures, and for its notifications made to 
other organizations, as well as for the documents  related to the reviews conducted by those 
organizations, as referred to in Article III.2(b)(3) and Article V.1.   Members shall include 
information on whether such organizations h ave the mandate and scope to undertake a peer 
review including for the relevant fish species and the type of peer review undertaken, and 
whether the stock assessments and management systems notified to other organizations 
pursuant to Article V.1 have been undertaken.  
 
VI.5 Other Members shall have the right to re quest information about the notified subsidies, 
including about individual cases of subsidization, about notified agreements pursuant to which fishing 
rights are acquired, and about the stock assessme nts and management systems notified to other 
organizations pursuant to Article V.1.  Each Member  so requested shall provide such information in 
accordance with the provisi ons of Article 25.9.  Members shall also have the right to request 
information about any alleged subsidy provided by another Member in accordance with the 
provisions of Article 25.8 or for an explanation of the reasons for which a specific measure has 
been considered as not subject to the requirement of notification.  
 VI.6 Any Member shall be free to bring to the attention of the Committee information from 
pertinent outside sources (including intergovernme ntal organizations with fisheries management-
related activities, regional fisheries management organi zations and similar source s) as to any apparent 
illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing activities.  
 
VI.7 Measures notified pursuant to this Article sh all be subject to review by the Committee as 
provided for in Article 26.  
  
__________