MCS review held in the Comoros
©FAO/Eric MostertThe Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) carried out a review of fisheries monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) capacities in the Union of the Comoros. This mission, which took place from 19 - 23 February 2024, aimed to take stock of the provisions in force and assess to what extent they allow this archipelagic State of the Indian Ocean to fulfill its obligations as a port, flag, coastal and market State.
The mission, led by an FAO expert, involved several agents from the Ministry of Fisheries, the National Center for Fisheries Control and Surveillance (CNCSP) as well as other administrations including the Coast Guard and The Maritime Affairs National Agency (ANAM). Small scale fishery community and its facilities was also visited during this mission.
The review focused on eight thematic areas: a general description of the fishing sector; the MCS and implementation framework; the fisheries monitoring centre; human resources; training programmes and capacity building; information collection mechanisms; MCS capabilities and standard operating procedures. This resulted in a list of recommendations, grouped by thematic areas which were discussed and agreed with the participants.
This mission to the Comoros was funded as part of the FAO Technical Cooperation Programme TCP/COI/3903, which aims to strengthen the institutional and operational capacities of the CNCSP and to contribute to the reduction of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and the improvement of maritime security for sustainable management of maritime resources in the Comoros.
The MCS review was carried out to inform an ongoing legal review and support for better regulation to implement international instruments to combat IUU fishing, including the provisions of the FAO Agreement on Port State Measures (PSMA). The results also provide the country with indicators of elements of the MCS that will require strengthening so that Comoros can better fulfill its responsibilities as a port, flag, coastal and market State.