News
The first meeting of global MCS experts in Africa
Maputo, Mozambique hosted the third Global Fisheries Enforcement Training Workshop (GFETW) the first of its kind to be held on the African continent between the 28th of February to the 4th of March 2011. The purpose of the workshop was to bring together monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) practitioners as well as experts from related fields, from across the world, to discuss and exchange best practices, lessons learned and information on current activities at a national, regional or global level. In connection with the workshop, a side meeting was organised to discuss and decide on the future structure and role of the IMCS-Network.
The meeting concluded that the need for cooperation and information-sharing between regions is increasing. The fact that IUU fishing is being transferred from developed to developing countries as MCS systems in developed countries improve, adds to this need.The cases of the illegal vessels the Antillas Reefer in Mozambique and Tawariq-1 in Tanzania were studied as examples of how this type of cooperation can benefit the African continent. The meeting concluded that a more formalised system of support and cooperation is needed between developed and developing countries.
The meeting was hosted by the Mozambican Ministry of Fisheries, sponsored by the International Monitoring, Control and Surveillance Network (IMCS-Network) and co-sponsored by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the United States Department of Commerce, the New Partnership for Africa’s Development Agency (NEPAD Agency) and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Under the NEPAD Agency, the Stop Illegal Fishing Programme (SIF) and the Partnership for African Fisheries (PAF) played the role of co-organiser, chair and presenters. The workshop was attended by delegations from 20 African countries.
Topics for presentations and discussions included: IUU fishing in artisanal and small-scale fisheries (with examples from Cameroon and Ghana); Current international MCS efforts (discussing the FAO Port State Measures Agreement and the FAO Global Record); Regional MCS as a cost effective solution to combating IUU (with examples from the Pacific Island Forum Fisheries Agency, the European Union, the Indian Ocean Commission and Central America); Cost effective MCS technology (discussing low-cost, low-tech approaches to MCS, risk analysis, and other tools); Dealing with data (discussing information-sharing legislation and trade analysis methodologies); Certification, traceability and verification (discussing various trade/catch certification schemes); Forensics in fisheries MCS (discussing the benefits and methods for the use of forensics in fisheries MCS); Bridging the gap (with examples of activities by Pew, Bay of Bengal project and Interpol); Training and capacity building (with examples of PAF and SIF, a Portuguese fisheries enforcement project in Africa, FAO’s technical cooperation programme and the US Coral Triangle Initiative); the Antillas reefer case (discussing evidence-gathering in relation to this case); and lastly Hot topics (discussing the role of environmental certification schemes in reducing IUU, Mauritius’ National Plan of Action on IUU, the Central American Integrated Fishing and Aquaculture registry, and the joint SADC fisheries patrol in 2009).
Overall, the workshop provided an important platform for: general information exchange and updates on activities and success stories around the world in relation to combating IUU; engagement with a broad range of partners and potential partners; and showcasing positive African examples of combating IUU while also highlighting the challenges, primarily in relation to MCS, small-scale fisheries and port state measures.
A side meeting (business meeting) was held on the future structure and role of the IMCS-Network. This meeting concluded that a functional IMCS-Network would improve communication and information flow between members as well as serve as a credible organisation for MCS-related projects between developed and developing countries. It was also agreed that a new executive committee will be appointed and the chairperson will take up the role as CEO of the organisation as soon as possible after the members has agreed. The next business meeting will be held in Chile in 2012.
The workshop concluded by adopting a declaration on IUU fishing. For more information about the workshop, please visit the workshop website: http://www.gfetw.org/