Report of the first meeting of the regional working group on illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, Barbados, 1–2 March 2017
The First meeting of the Regional Working Group on Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing was held in Barbados on 1 and 2 March 2017.
The Regional Working Group on Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing (RWG-IUU) is a joint working group of the Western Central Atlantic Fishery Commission (WECAFC), the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM), and Organization for Fisheries and Aquaculture of Central America (OSPESCA).
The 52 participating experts, representing 21 WECAFC Members, were presented with and discussed many aspects of IUU fishing. This first meeting contributed to: 1) increasing awareness and understanding of the IUU fishing problem in the Caribbean region; and 2) increasing capacity for a more effective collaboration in preventing, deterring and eliminating IUU fishing in the Caribbean region, with emphasis on experiences from other regions with vessel monitoring systems (VMS) and monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) supporting measures, as well as on international and regional instruments to combat IUU fishing, such as the 2009 FAO Port State Measures Agreement.
The meeting also finalized and agreed on its ToRs and work plan for the 2017–2018 RWG-IUU period, to be endorsed by CRFM and WECAFC, and discussed elements to be included in a Regional Plan of Action to prevent, deter and eliminate IUU fishing (RPOA-IUU).