Report of the FAO/APFIC Workshop on Implementing the 2009 FAO Agreement on Port State Measures to Combat Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing

This document contains the report of the FAO/APFIC Workshop on Implementing the 2009 FAO Agreement on Port State Measures to Combat Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing (the Agreement), which was held in Bangkok, Thailand, from 23 to 27 April 2012. The workshop focused on the implementation of the Agreement from a legal and policy, institutional and capacity development, and operations stand points. Following the introduction, participants were apprised of IUU fishing characteristics in Southeast Asia including its scope, impact on resources, and economic consequences. The next section addressed the recent work of the regional plan of action to promote responsible fishing practices including measures to combat IUU fishing in Southeast Asia (RPOA). Port State measures in the global context were considered together with the use of port State measures to prevent, deter and eliminate IUU fishing. The key provisions of the Agreement and implications for regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs) were highlighted along with RFMO practices in supporting the implementation of port State measures. Fisheries fleets and ports in Southeast Asia were the subject of the next section followed by a review of Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) Resolution 10/11 on port State measures. The national questionnaire on port State measures that had been provided to the participants in advance of the workshop was analysed. The role of fisheries managers and inspectors in implementing port State measures was considered and ways of moving forward with the implementation process addressed. Stakeholders' perspective on port State measures and good governance issues were reviewed. Participatory activities and role play led to the formulation of action planning and workshop recommendations at the national and regional levels. Opportunities for regional cooperation to implement port State measures were addressed in detail. The anonymous evaluation of the workshop was positive. Funding and support for the workshop were provided by the FAO Regular Programme, Government of the Republic of Korea (Trust Fund GCP/INT/136/ROK), IOTC and the Australian Fisheries Management Authority.