Monitoring, control, and surveillance. Activities undertaken by the fishery enforcement system to ensure compliance with fishery regulations. “Enforcement” refers generally to the enforcement of rules and regulations, and can be regarded as part of the overarching term “MCS”.

Monitoring – The continuous requirement for the measurement of fishing effort characteristics and resource yields.

Control – The regulatory conditions under which the exploitation of the resource may be conducted. This is generally considered to include the juridical component.

Surveillance – The degree and types of observations required to maintain compliance with the regulatory controls imposed on fishing activities.