Mozambique: Parliament's operational budget more than doubles to €80.3M this year
Regional Fisheries Monitoring Plan awarded in Canada
8:56 CAT | 09 Aug 2023
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The Regional Fisheries Monitoring Plan (PRSP) led by the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) and supported by ECOFISH, of which Mozambique is a part, has been awarded the “Meritorious Achievement” award by the International Monitoring, Control and Surveillance (IMCS) Network in Canada in recognition of its significant impact in the fight against illegal fishing worldwide.
The awards ceremony during the 7th Global Fisheries Enforcement Training Workshop (GFETW) in Halifax, Canada, brought together about 180 technicians, experts and key decision-makers representing 52 countries, all committed to the cause of fisheries monitoring, control and surveillance.
The award recognizes the IOC’s outstanding efforts in implementing the Regional Fisheries Monitoring Plan (PRSP) in the southwest Indian Ocean region over a 15-year period.
The PRSP brings together human, financial and material resources from nine countries in the southwest Indian Ocean region to leverage their efforts in combating illegal fishing more systematically. The initiative, created and supported by the Indian Ocean Commission since 2007, also receives financial support from the European Union through various projects and programs including the E€OFISH Programme.
The cooperation area of the PRSP countries covers 7.23 million km2.
The southwest Indian Ocean region alone accounts for 20% of world tuna catches.
Countries participating in the PRSP to protect fishery resources from illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing include Comoros, France/Reunion, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Tanzania, Seychelles and Somalia.
According to the PRSP, the number of serious violations observed during joint patrols has drastically decreased and they are now scarce in the region. The latest regional fisheries surveillance missions at sea have revealed that practically all vessels operating in the region are now complying with regulations – a striking contrast to the controls carried out by the first regional patrol in 2007, when 25% of the vessels inspected were in breach of the law.
Of the nine countries participating in the PRSP, five have made substantial progress in the global ranking of the IUU fishing index, with Mozambique moving from position 76 to 35.
The ECOFISH program also supports small-scale fishing in the districts of Cahora Bassa and Mágoè (Tete province) through a project called the Fishermen’s Club implemented by ADPP.
Source: ADPP Mozambique / Press Release
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