Third PSMA Regional Coordination Meeting underway in Seoul
The third week-long regional coordination meeting to discuss the implementation of the 2009 FAO Agreement on Port State Measures (PSMA) to Prevent, Deter, and Eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, is currently underway, in hybrid form, in Seoul, the Republic of Korea.
The meeting brought together 14 States with an interest in the region including States that are already Party to the PSMA, other FAO Members from Asia, countries with an interest in fishing in the region, and representatives of two regional fishery bodies (RFBs), the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC) and the Bay of Bengal Large Marine Ecosystem Project (BOBLME).
This week-long meeting followed another two PSMA Regional Coordination Meetings, held for the South West and East Pacific, and for the Latin America and Caribbean region.
PSMA Regional Coordination Meetings were first called for by Tonga’s Minister of Fisheries at the first meeting of the Parties hosted by Norway in 2017. More recently, in light of decisions taken during the third meeting of the Parties to the PSMA which, in 2021, suggested the setting up of a PSMA Strategy ad hoc Working Group to discuss the development of a strategy to improve the effectiveness of the Agreement, the Parties concurred on the holding of regional or sub-regional discussions in support of this working group.
The regional coordination meeting in Seoul is being conducted under the patronage of the Government of the Republic of Korea, with the financial support of the Government of Norway.
A fourth and final regional coordination meeting, for Africa, the Near East, and Europe, is planned for the coming months. More information is available here.