FIJI now joins Australia, New Zealand, Palau, Tonga and Vanuatu in rectifying the Port State Measures targeted to prevent, deter and eliminate illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing.
In a statement the Ministry of Fisheries said that fishing vessels visited Fiji to offload their catch, restock supplies, provisioning and vessel maintenance.
“While this brings benefit to the nation, Fiji’s robust implementation of the Port State Measures will allow us to identify vessels of interest and illegal vessels that may visit our ports,” the statement said
“It will also allow Fiji to strengthen the region’s ability to exclude illegal vessels from visiting vulnerable nations that have small administrations.”
Meanwhile the Port State Measure is a tool aimed at ensuring the sustainable management of fish stocks as well as ensuring that there is control over the work done to eliminate the negative environmental, economic and social consequences posed by IUU fishing.
