FAO facilitates workshop on catch documentation schemes in Panama
Up to 26 participants from three different government Ministries in Panama participated in an FAO workshop on catch documentation schemes, held in Ciudad de Panamá between 25 – 28 October 2022.
The workshops were held within the framework of the support provided under the ‘Third PSMA Global Capacity Development Programme Support Project and Follow-up Action to the Thirty-third FAO Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture’ funded by the European Union.
The purpose of the workshop was to review Panama’s current catch documentation schemes and procedures in place, and identify key information that needs to be verified at national level to guarantee the legal origin of products destined for the European Union and the United States of America.
The participants also undertook a range of scenario-based practical exercises to better understand the principles of a proper certification. During the last session, participants reviewed the draft national manual to validate catch certificates in order to identify potential improvements based on the lessons learnt in the workshop.
The workshop was highly valued by the participants, who agreed on the benefits of these kinds of workshops to strengthen the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. As a next stage, FAO will keep on assisting Panama with the drafting of the national manual to ensure responsible management of catch documentation schemes.