Opening of the 7th Session of the South West Indian Ocean Fisheries Commission (SWIOFC)
The seventh session of the South West Indian Ocean Fisheries Commission (SWIOFC) started on Monday (12/10) in the Mozambican capital, Maputo. The SWIOFC Secretary, Aubrey Harris, welcomed the guests, who included the delegates of the member states of the Commission, non-governmental and inter-governmental organizations, as well as observers at the opening session in the morning. During the five-day session, the member states will address themes such as the regional fish stocks, over-exploitation, sustainable fisheries management and increasing the economic benefits received from providing fishing access to foreign fleets. They will also establish a committee that will direct regional fisheries projects, review the Commission's work of the last two years and make plans for the next two.
This is the first session of SWIOFC in Mozambique since the signing of a Host Agreement by the country last November, and the recent transfer of the Commission's Secretariat from Harare, Zimbabwe, to Maputo. On the occasion of the signing of the Host Agreement, the former Minister of Fisheries, Víctor Manuel Borges, said that the transfer was "an important step that showed [Mozambique's] commitment to the regional fisheries cooperation".
Today, according to the FAO Subregional Coordinator for Southern Africa, David Phiri, who attended the event in Maputo, "FAO recognizes the collaboration and dedication of all member states and partners, who for ten years now have fulfilled a regional requirement for the cooperation in fisheries development and management".
The Minister of the Sea, Interior Waters and Fisheries, Agostinho Mondlane, who opened the event, said that "in Mozambique, there has been positive progress that constitutes a motive for commemoration. However, there is still a lot to do in order to reach what we all seek, namely the effective sustainability of our fisheries".
The seventh session of SWIOFC happens as the Commission celebrates its 10th anniversary since its first session in 2005. SWIOFC was established in 2004, with the main objective to promote the sustainable utilization of the living marine resources of the South West Indian Ocean region through their proper management and development, without prejudice to the sovereign rights of coastal States. A further objective is to address common problems of fisheries management and development faced by the Members of the Commission.
The Commission is composed of coastal states, all FAO Members whose territories are situated wholly or partly within the area of the Commission. Currently it has twelve Members: Comoros, France, Kenya, Madagascar, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa, United Republic of Tanzania, and Yemen.