Prospectus on PSM

REGIONAL TRAINING ON

PORT STATE MEASURES IMPLEMENTATION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

20 - 23  February 2018

Bangkok, Thailand

Illegal Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing is a global threat to sustainable fisheries and to the management and conservation of fisheries resources and marine biodiversity. As a tool to combat IUU fishing, the importance of enhanced port state control has increasingly gained ground throughout the last decennium. The growing reliance on port states to combat non-sustainable fishing practices stems to a great extent from the failure of flag states to effectively control fishing operations carried out by vessels flying their flag.

Port State Measures (PSM) are requirements established or interventions undertaken by port states which a foreign fishing vessel must comply with or is subjected to as a condition for use of ports within the port state. National PSM would typically include requirements related to prior notification of port entry, use of designated ports, restrictions on port entry and landing/transshipment of fish, restrictions on supplies and services, documentation requirements and port inspections, as well as related measures, such as IUU vessel listing, trade-related measures and sanctions. Many of these measures have in recent years seen their inclusion and development in international instruments.

Since the late 1990s, a number of international fora issued calls to combat IUU fishing, and in March 2001, the FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI) adopted the International Plan of Action to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate IUU fishing (IPOA-IUU) which was applied on a voluntary basis. A large and diverse set of measures for States was bounded to combat IUU fishing, individually and in collaboration with other States. Some of these measures are designed for use by all States; others are tailored for application by flag States, coastal States and port States.

Improved strength and coordination of port State measures and other surveillance activities will be necessary to maximize the benefit from such surveillances. FAO has played a leading role in this regard, culminating in the acknowledgement by COFI at its Twenty-sixth Session in 2005 that  there was a need to strengthen port State measures as a means of combating IUU fishing in a more substantive manner given that the lack of agreed, binding measures provided a loophole.  The Committee endorsed the FAO Model Scheme on Port State Measures to Combat IUU Fishing, and agreed that follow-up work should be undertaken, especially with respect to operate the FAO Model Scheme.

Port State measures have been increasingly adopted by RFMOs, and are also addressed in a number of international instruments. This culminated at the Twenty-seventh Session of COFI in March 2007 when the Committee acknowledged the urgent need for a comprehensive suite of port State measures and the strong support expressed on the proposal to develop a legally binding instrument for port State measures which were based on the 2001 FAO IPOA-IUU and the FAO Model Scheme.  

Regarding to the Southeast Asian Region, the Plan of Action on Sustainable Fisheries for Food Security Towards 2020 which was adopted in ASEAN-SEAFDEC Conference Fish for the People 2020 “Adaptation to a Changing Environment” in Bangkok, Thailand during 13-17 June 2011 emphasizes to build up capacity among Member Countries, including functions for regional and sub-regional cooperation, to effectively meet the requirements of port state measures and flag state responsibilities.

In support of the implementation of PSM for the ASEAN region, and in anticipation of the entry into force of the PSM and the need for strengthened regional cooperation, The SEAFDEC Training Department (TD) under implement the project on the “Promotion of Countermeasures to reduce IUU Fishing”, with funding support from Japanese Trust Fund has been promoting PSM activities to Member Countries. The project organized “Experts Group Meeting on Port State Measures in Southeast Asia”, “Expert Meeting on Regional Cooperation to Support the Implementation of Port State Measures in Southeast Asian Region”, and “Workshop on Regional Cooperation for Implementation of Port State Measures to Improve Fisheries Management and Reduce IUU Fishing in Southeast Asia” in November 2012, February and November 2016, respectively.  The recommendations from all meetings emphasized that SEAFDEC and partners should support and assist Member Countries to implement PSM activities through enhanced understanding of the requirements contained in the PSM and to provide capacity building by engaging persons at all level and to strengthen regional cooperation towards combating IUU fishing within the ASEAN region. 

Following the recommendation and requests from the SEAFDEC Member Countries, “The Regional Training on Port State Measures Implementation in Southeast Asia” will be organized by SEAFDEC/TD in collaboration with other international organization to support implementation and capacity building on PSM for fishery manager in the region.

Objectives 

1. To build up the capacity of participants in better understanding the Port State Measures
2. To increase knowledge of participants for Port State Measures and relevant activities for combating IUU Fishing;
3. To review existing Port State Measures and find the way to practical improvement for Member Countries