Report of the FAO Workshop on Implementing the FAO Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent, Deter, and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing in the North West Indian Ocean. Colombo, Sri Lanka, 1–5 June 2016
This document contains the report of the FAO workshop on Implementing the 2009 FAO Agreement on port State measures to prevent deter and eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (“the Agreement”) which was held at the Taj Samudra Hotel in Colombo, Sri Lanka, from 1 to 5 June 2015.
The workshop was attended by 42 participants from 15 coastal countries of the North West Indian Ocean (Arabian Sea and adjacent seas and gulfs), in addition to representatives from two non-governmental organizations (NGOs), one intergovernmental organization, one regional fishery management organization (RFMO) and a representative from the European Commission.
The workshop was organized to improve the understanding of the provisions of the PSMA, to highlight the policy, legal, institutional and operational requirements for effective implementation of the provisions, and to enhance the necessary skills of national officers in the implementation of port State measures.
The workshop agenda included a number of items to inform the participants on the provisions and requirements of the PSMA, as well as the costs and benefits. The second half of the workshop brought the participants together in working groups to discuss challenges and recommendations in the region in terms of legal and policy, institutional and capacity building, operations, and finally regional cooperation.
Funding for the workshop was provided by the Norwegian Government through the project “Support to the effective application of the 2009 FAO Agreement on port State measures to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing” (GCP/GLO/515/NOR).