FAO.org

A second mission carried out in the designated port of Toamasina, also called Tamatave, in Madagascar, aids experts from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to continue supporting the country as it seeks to revise and strengthen its procedures towards sustainable fisheries.

The mission was held between the 5 and 9 May 2025.

During these four days, FAO experts visited this second designated port to provide input on the implementation of port State measures the country has in place, in line with the FAO Agreement on Port State Measures (PSMA) and the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) Resolution 16/11, and to focus on enforcement and interagency processes following the detection of infractions.

Experts also met with the National School for the Judiciary in Antananarivo, the discussion during which confirmed the interest of the judiciary sector to strengthen enforcement of national fisheries legislation together with the Ministry of Fisheries, as well as the need for judges to receive proper training on the international fisheries legal framework.

FAO experts are contributing towards assisting Madagascar in developing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), and supporting the country in determining the appropriate procedures to have in place to protect its fisheries inspectors in the conduct of their duties. FAO experts are also assisting the country in strengthening cooperation between its different national authorities and entities.

Madagascar has been a Party to the PSMA since March 2017, and is a contracting party to the IOTC. It is therefore committed to implement the binding resolution on port State measures (PSMR 16/11), which was first adopted in 2010 and applies to tuna and tuna-like species under IOTC management.

During this mission, FAO experts also visited the Centre de Surveillance des Pêches (CSP) and its branches in the ports they visited, and met with port authorities, prosecutors, local fishers associations, and representatives of fisheries companies.

This mission was carried out through support by the Federal Republic of Germany, under the Port State Measures support project.