Director General of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Qu Dongyu delivers a speech during the 4th meeting of the Parties to the FAO Agreement on Port State Action (PSMA) on May 8, 2023 (Source: antaranews.com)Opening the event, Director General of the UN Food andAgriculture Organisation (FAO) Qu Dongyu said that the PSMA is the first bindinginternational agreement between port countries aimed at preventing, deterring,and eradicating illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
The agreement specifically aims to prevent vesselsconducting IUU fishing from accessing ports, thereby blocking the catch fromentering the market.
Sustainable capture fisheries and sustainable aquaculture have great potentialto feed and nourish the world’s growing population and the increasing demandfor healthy aquatic foods, said Dongyu.
He explained that the PSMA could support the transformation of sustainablefisheries worldwide. Dongyu underlinedthat illegal fishing had become a threat to the conservation and sustainableuse of marine resources and ecosystems and to the livelihoods of 600 millionpeople that depend on them.
Indonesian Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries SaktiWahyu Trenggono reiterated Indonesia's commitment to eliminating IUU fishingpractices and intensifying law enforcement.
Indonesia as one of the original signatories of the PSMA inNovember 2009.
Over the years, FAO has worked in close partnership with the Government ofIndonesia and other states in the Asia-Pacific region in developing andmanaging the fisheries and aquaculture sectors while also responding to emergenciesimpacting these sectors, he stated.
Aryal said key issues, including a strategy to increase theeffectiveness of PSMA and Global Information Exchange System (GIES), areexpected to be discussed at this meeting.
GIES is an information technology tool developed by FAO upon the request ofPSMA parties to share information on port state measures and the capacitydevelopment needs of developing states in combating IUU fishing.
The fourth meeting in Bali was attended by over 200 delegates from across theworld along with representatives of intergovernmental andnon-governmental organisations.
The PSMA meeting is held every two years, and this year,Indonesia is the host.
So far, the PSMA has 75 parties, including the European Union on behalf of itsmember states./.
VNA
