October 2017 — Per Erik Bergh (Managing Director) and Mathew Markides (Research Assistant) participated in a five-day International Maritime Organization (IMO) seminar attended by representatives from southern and east African countries that came together in Cape Town, South Africa to discuss the Cape Town Agreement of 2012 relating to the safety of fishing vessels.
The seminar was composed of technical and operational presentations, working group discussions and a field trip to the nearby Port of Cape Town. The participating countries also presented on their current fisheries situations, outlining their fleets, ministries involved and the status of the Agreement.
Per Erik Bergh of Stop Illegal Fishing presented on the work of FISH-i Africa Task Force, illustrating how the Agreement entering into force could help countries in the region to combat illegal fishing and improve the overall level of safety in the industry. He noted that, “If a vessel is fishing illegally, it is likely committing other violations, including relating to safety.”
In the same vein, Ari Gudmundsson[1] of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) stated that, “The Cape Town Agreement will not only improve safety at sea in the fishing sector but will also be a useful tool in fighting illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, together with the FAO Port State Measures Agreement.”
[1] Head of the Fishing Operations and Technology Branch of the FAO’s Fisheries and Aquaculture Policy and Resources Division.
