Ted Blenkers How to identify a fishing boat?

In order for information on a fishing vessel to be verified with records or lists of fishing vessels, identifiers must be assigned to the vessels. These may be of two types:

• The Unique Ship Identifier (IUB)

identifier that is never reused and accompanies the ship throughout its life, regardless of the changes that occur with respect to the flag, the name or the owner. Currently the International Maritime Organization (IMO) number is the only globally recognized IUB for fishing vessels.

• Ship identifiers that are assigned by the flag State when a ship is registered

These include international radio call signs (IRCS), maritime mobile service identification number (MMSI) and national registration numbers, and should only be linked to one ship at a time (if used correctly). However, these identifiers change when a ship changes flag, and can be reused; so it does not represent a true IUBs