1. As part of FAO’s activities to implement the International Plan of Action (IPOA) to Prevent, Deter or Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing the Fisheries Department has developed a strategy to promote the use of vessel monitoring systems (VMS) as an additional instrument for monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) of fisheries both at a national level and in particular in cooperation with regional fisheries organizations. The Sub-Regional Fisheries Commission (SRFC) Workshop on VMS is part of this cooperative endeavour with regional fisheries organizations, and was organized at the Commission’s request.
2. The Workshop was held at the Hotel Neptune in Saly Portudal, Senegal, from 14 to 17 October 2002.
3. The VMS Strategy is supported by the ‘Interregional Programme of Assistance to Developing Countries for the Implementation of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries’ (FishCode), and in particular the FishCode Project ‘Support for the Implementation of the IPOA/IUU Fishing’ (GCP/INT/849/USA).
4. The objectives of the Workshop were:
a) to sensitize the SRFC Member States on the potential of VMS as a complement to their other MCS activities; and
b) to foster discussions at a technical level leading to the formulation of a subregional strategy for cooperation on VMS.
5. The Workshop was attended by representatives of all the SRFC Member States - Cape Verde, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania and Senegal - as well as the SRFC Associated Country of Sierra Leone. Workshop participants also included the SRFC Secretariat and technical officers from the FAO Fisheries Department and Development Law Service. Representatives of commercial companies providing VMS-related equipment and services were also invited to provide briefings to workshop participants.
6. Mr N.S. Bangoura, Permanent Secretary of the Sub-Regional Fisheries Commission set the context of the workshop and thanked the FAO and all who contributed to the holding of the workshop. On behalf of the participants, Mr Bangoura expressed condolences to the people of Senegal regarding the tragic loss of the ferry “Joola”. The participants observed a minute’s silence in memory of the tragedy.
7. Mr E. Tapsoba, Resident Representative of the FAO in Senegal, stressed the importance of the theme and noted that the Workshop is supported by the ‘Assistance to Developing Countries for the Implementation of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fishing Programme (FishCode), and in particular the FishCode project ‘Support for the Implementation of the IPOA/IUU’ (GCP/INT/849/USA), financed by a contribution from the USA.
8. His Excellency the Hon. Cheikh Sadibou Fall, Minister of Fisheries, opened the Workshop and assured the Permanent Secretary that he would transmit his condolences to the authorities and people of Senegal.
9. Texts of the opening session addresses are attached as Annex 1. The Workshop Agenda and Timetable is shown as Annex 2, and the List of Workshop Participants as Annex 3. Annex 4 provides a list of documents and presentations for the Workshop.
