FAO supports South Africa through a legal and an MCS review
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in close collaboration with the Department of Fisheries, Forestry and the Environment (DFFE) of South Africa carried out a review to support the country in enhancing its legal, institutional and operational capacities to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
The mission was held between 15 and 19 April 2024, covering legal and monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) aspects, under the framework of the project “Responsible Use of Fisheries and Aquaculture Resources for Sustainable Development” (GCP/GLO/352/NOR), funded by the Kingdom of Norway.
Through this mission, FAO presented for feedback by the DFFE an updated national strategy and action plan to effectively implement the FAO Agreement on Port State Measures (PSMA) and complementary instruments and mechanisms to combat IUU fishing. The national strategy and action plan identifies recommendations for the country to strengthen its capacities in compliance with international fisheries instruments. Feedback provided will be incorporated by FAO towards the finalization of the national strategy and action plan, which will be later sent to the country for its formal endorsement.
During the same mission, FAO experts, with the active participation of the DFFE, the South African Maritime Safety Authority, the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications, and other agencies, carried out a legal review of the country’s main fisheries legislation. This review resulted in the joint development of legal recommendations which will now be considered by South Africa.
Additional recommendations were provided by FAO experts following an MCS review which took stock of current MCS arrangements and assessed the extent to which these enable South Africa to meet its obligations as a port, flag, coastal and market State. The review examined 50 topics and resulted in 10 recommendations for improvements. As part of the review process, a field visit was also made to Cape Town port, in order to follow an inspection of a foreign flagged tuna longliner and board one of South Africa’s patrol vessels.
FAO will continue to provide support to South Africa as a follow-up on the identified priority recommendations.