A national interagency workshop was held in Balaclava, Mauritius between 15
and 16 August 2023 as part of the work under the ECOFISH project to strengthen
interagency cooperation for fisheries MCS in EA-SA-IO countries.
The workshop was attended by representatives from: Ministry of Blue Economy,
Marine Resources, Fisheries and Shipping, Fisheries Division, Shipping Division,
Mauritius Port Authority, Mauritius Police Force, National Coast Guard, Port Police,
Port Health, Ministry of Health and Customs. Also present were representatives
from TMT and the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC).
TMT is working with the IOC and seven countries in the region to improve
interagency cooperation on fisheries MCS by first assessing their existing status
of interagency cooperation, and then holding a workshop to identify gaps and
priority areas for future action while discussing possible means of improving
cooperation.
The workshop provided an opportunity to:
Present the methodology used for this evaluation and the results of the preliminary desk-based analysis carried out prior to the workshop;
Refine this initial gap analysis;
Consider the current systems in place for four priority areas that require interagency cooperation, as identified during the first steps of the analysis (At sea patrols; Port State measures; Implementation of the NPOA-IUU;
Licencing and registration of fishing vessels);
Consider the extent of interagency cooperation currently in place and discuss how this cooperation could be reinforced;
Discuss tools and approaches likely to facilitate interagency cooperation, including examples from other countries and regions and
Identify possible next steps that could be taken to strengthen interagency cooperation in Mauritius.
Presentations were made by the IOC, Fisheries Division, National Coast Guard
and TMT.
Each presentation offered an opportunity for discussion on strengthening cooperation, including through formalisation and expansion.
A key outcome of the workshop is a list of agreed priority areas to be pursued in
order to strengthen interagency cooperation in Mauritius with a view to
improving fisheries management and combating IUU fishing.
ECOFISH is implemented by the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) and funded by
the EU.
This project builds on the foundations of SMARTFISH and the Regional
Fisheries Surveillance Project (PRSP) and this activity aims to identify areas of
fisheries monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) where interagency
cooperation is needed and consider how such cooperation can be formalised.