South West Indian Ocean Fisheries Commission holds 8th ordinary session
The Member States of the Southwest Indian Ocean Fisheries Commission (SWIOFC) held their 8th ordinary session from 28th to 31th March in Antananarivo, capital of the Republic of Madagascar to discuss regional fisheries management, including the revision of a protocol on the minimum terms and conditions (MTC) for access to tuna fisheries by the foreign fishing fleets of the region.
The event was attended by representatives of countries such as the Comoros, Kenya, Madagascar, Maldives, Mauritius, Seychelles, Somalia and Tanzania, and included Mozambique whose delegation was led by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of the Sea, Inland Waters and Fisheries of Mozambique, Narci Premegi.
At the official opening of the event, the Minister of Marine Resources and Fisheries of Madagascar, Gilbert François, reiterated that the "Government of his country is engaged to strengthen ties of regional collaboration in the fisheries sector at the level of the Southwest Indian Ocean region."
FAO's Sub regional Coordinator for Southern Africa, David Phiri, highlighted "the challenge of SWIOFC on the results and recommendations of the Scientific Committee on the situation of shared resources in the South-West Indian Ocean."
According to the Scientific Committee report on the regional state of fishery resources 38% of the stocks assessed can be considered as unsustainable, while 62% are being exploited in a sustainable way.
In comparative terms, the SWIOFC region is in an unfavourable situation relative to the rest of the world, which means that there is still a significant part of the fish population that needs to be better managed.
Against this background, the FAO Sub regional Coordinator for Southern Africa said that "it would be important for the members to renew their efforts to address this situation individually as members and collectively as a commission. In this context, SWIOFC should ensure coordination between the different projects under way in the region, strengthening the articulation and synergies for the benefit of its Member States, "Phiri said.
The South West Indian Ocean Fisheries Commission (SWIOFC) is a statutory body established by the FAO Council to promote the sustainable development, conservation and management of shared resources in its region, without prejudice to the sovereign rights of coastal countries.
Mozambique chairs the Technical Group that coordinates the development of the Protocol on the Minimum Tuna Fishery Access Terms and Conditions in the region. The chair of the SWIOFC is on a rotating basis, for the duration of a full session, and meets at least once every 2 years.
The SWIOFC Secretariat is based in Maputo, in the offices of the National Fisheries Administration (ADNAP). It was recently reinforced by two technicians, namely a program officer and a visibility officer, both of whom were seconded by the Ministry of the Sea, Inland Waters and Fisheries.