Fifty participants from 13 countries in the Indian Ocean region met in Mauritius from 21-22 June 2007, under the auspices of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), to focus on strengthening port security, a key tool for combating illegal fishing.

It is a particular concern in the western Indian Ocean and along the eastern coast of Africa, where fishing boats have taken advantage of the lack of strong enforcement measures in coastal countries. During the meeting, participants heard presentations from organizations such as the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission and the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources about recent measures taken against illegal unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing in the regions for which they are responsible, including enhanced “port State measures” such as port inspection schemes and information systems, which can be linked to enforcement tools such as blacklisting of IUU fishing vessels, trade measures and requiring vessels to participate in vessel monitoring system programmes.
Link to further information
FAO press release, 21 June 2007