FAO briefs OACPS fisheries group on the Port States Measures Agreement

FAO Secretary of the Port-States Measures Agreement (PSMA) Matthew Camilleri briefed Ambassadors and delegates of the Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) Working Group on Fisheries on the current state of PSMA implementation and the upcoming Meeting of the Parties of the Agreement, which will take place virtually from 31 May to 4 June.

Camilleri emphasized that more than 40% of the OACPS Members are PSMA signatories, and the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing is a key issue for Small Island Developing States (SIDS). Many SIDS are OACPS Members. The Secretary identified capacity development and training as two crucial components of PSMA implementation strategy in various signatory countries. Camilleri also introduced two FAO-led information-sharing systems related to the PSMA implementation: the PSMA Information Exchange System and the Global Record of Fishing Vessels, Refrigerated Transport Vessels and Supply Vessels.

Read more about the Agreement on Port States Measures here.