A Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (RFMO), sometimes called regional fisheries organisation (RFO)[1], is an international organisation dedicated to the sustainable management of fishery resources in a particular region of international waters, or of highly migratory species.
RFMOs may focus on certain species of fish (e.g. the Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna[2]) or have a wider remit related to living marine resources in general within a region (e.g. the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources). This wide diversity of mandates and areas of application, and also effective implementation of regulations, opens up opportunities for illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing vessels.