First regional workshop on transshipment held in the Americas
Officials from Latin American, Caribbean, and North American countries participated in the first of a series of regional workshops that took a closer look at the new FAO Voluntary Guidelines for Transshipment.
The guidelines were endorsed by the Committee on Fisheries (COFI) in September last year, after they were adopted by FAO Members following a global technical consultation held earlier in 2022. The FAO Voluntary Guidelines on Transshipment are a new international instrument that will assist States and regional fisheries management organizations or arrangements (RFMO/As) in developing or revising their regulations on transshipment to support them in combatting illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
The guidelines set minimum international standards to regulate, monitor, and control transshipment of fish, whether processed or not. For the first time in the international framework, the guidelines provide clear definitions for what constitutes “transshipment” and “landing”; they establish clear processes and responsibilities for States in their different roles; and they eliminate ambiguous situations through specific transshipment and landing declarations.
Through a series of regional workshops, FAO is raising awareness about the guidelines and their contribution to sustainable fisheries.
The first workshop, funded by the European Union and co-hosted by the Western Central Atlantic Fishery Commission (WECAFC), was held in Bridgetown, Barbados, from the 7 – 10 March 2023. It brought together delegates from 18 countries, 3 regional fisheries management organizations, and 1 non-governmental organization.
During the opening session, Matthew Camilleri, Leader of the FAO Fisheries Global and Regional Processes Team from the FAO Headquarters, referred to the Voluntary Guidelines as yet another significant milestone attained by the international community where an agreement has been reached on international standards to prevent, deter and eliminate IUU fishing. Dr Camilleri stressed that it is now crucial for States, including through Regional Fisheries Bodies and regional mechanisms, to implement the guidelines. “Strengthened concerted action by all stakeholders to put an end to IUU fishing is urgently needed to safeguard the sustainability of our fisheries resources”, concluded Dr Camilleri.
Yvette Diei Ouadi, secretary of WECAFC, said that its Secretariat was very pleased to co-host a workshop on such an important instrument, given the extent of the challenge posed by IUU fishing in the region. The workshop was consistent with ongoing efforts to curb this significant threat to the sustainability of fisheries resources and livelihoods of legitimate fishers. “I wish to recall in this regard the 2019-2029 Regional Plan of Action to Prevent , Deter and Eliminate IUU fishing in the WECAFC Region, and the specific recommendation giving due attention to Transshipment, endorsed by the Commission in 2022”, concluded Diei Ouadi.
More information about the FAO Voluntary Guidelines for Transshipment and FAO’s work on transshipment, is available here.