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Supporting the Implementation of the Regional Plan of Action to Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing in the Caribbean - GCP/SLC/016/EC

©FAO/Roberto Faidutti

Project's full title Supporting the Implementation of the Regional Plan of Action to Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing in the Caribbean - GCP/SLC/016/EC
Introduction National economies, food security, the environment and labour standards are all negatively impacted by illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, which is estimated to account for between 20 and 30 percent of all fishing in the Caribbean. The deleterious effects of IUU fishing are exacerbated further by a regional context that is characterized by limited management, conservation and development capacities, as well as limited technical and operational capabilities.
Country European Union
Start date 01/08/2018
End date 30/06/2023
Status Closed
Donor European Union
Budget USD 158 025
Project Code GCP/SLC/016/EC
Objective / Goal The WECAFC Executive Committee, officers from the IUU/Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA), the Development Law Branch at FAO, the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) and partners of the Regional Working Group on Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing (RWG-IUU) worked with the WECAFC Secretariat to achieve the project’s objectives. The project organized the Third and Fourth RWG-IUU Meetings and a retreat. At these events, four recommendations were drafted, awareness of IUU fishing was raised, and the Regional Plan of Action to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate IUU fishing (ROPA-IUU) was developed. The Plan was endorsed at the Seventeenth Session of the Commission (WECAFC17). Subsequently, a survey on the readiness of WECAFC members to implement the RPOA-IUU was carried out. At WECAFC17 and WECAFC18, the four recommendations drafted at the Third and Fourth Meetings of the RWG-IUU were endorsed: (i) On the monitoring and control of transshipment at sea; (ii) On the application in the region of the technical guidelines on methodologies and indicators for the estimation of the magnitude and impact of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing; (iii) On the marking of fishing gear; and (iv) On effectively combatting IUU fishing. Preliminary activities for the Second Preparatory Meeting (SPM) were carried out. These included the administration of two survey questionnaires, the organization of a virtual meeting of the WECAFC ad hoc Intersessional Working Group (IWG), and the drafting of a text on the mandate and objectives of the WECAFC as an RFME/A.
Partners

Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE) of the European Union;
Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) and Central American Organization of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Sector (OSPESCA, Organización del Sector Pesquero y Acuícola del Istmo Centroamericano).
Beneficiaries Member countries of the WECAFC
Activities
  • The project mobilized technical inputs for the review of study reports on IUU fishing and the RPOA-IUU.
  • The Third RWG-IUU Meeting was organized and attended by 33 people (22 men and six women) from 17 WECAFC member countries, five non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and two intergovernmental organizations.
  • A report on the Third Meeting was prepared, and the meeting outputs were shared with the Scientific Advisory Group (SAG) and at a virtual meeting for review prior to WECAFC17.
  • The findings of the preparedness study for the implementation of the RPOA-IUU were presented at the Fourth RWG-IUU Meeting, which was held virtually and attended by 114 experts from 25 WECAFC member countries, three non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and three intergovernmental organizations.
  • Along with partners, this project sponsored member delegations to attend WECAFC17 and 18.
Impact By strengthening the capacities of WECAFC member states to prevent, deter and eliminate IUU fishing and to establish a body to enforce the WECAFC’s mandate as an RFME/A, the results of the project are expected to enhance regional governance for the sustainable management of fisheries in the Caribbean.
Contact FAO Subregional Office for the Caribbean [email protected]