Fiji is committed to fully implementing the Port State Measures Agreement to eliminate illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing at national and regional levels, said Minister for Fisheries Semi Koroilavesau.
He highlighted this at the opening of the week-long Food and Agriculture Organisation facilitated regional meeting in Nadi.
The Port State Measures Agreement is the first binding international agreement to specifically target illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing that came into effect in 2016.
“While Fiji is leading in the region with the vessel monitoring system, which hopefully can be replicated in other PIC’s (Pacific Island Countries),” he said.
“It will greatly assist the PICs to have access to constant eye in the sky through surveillance through the satellite and associated aerial surveillance system.
“We all must work together to address IUU. We must identify areas of improvement and how best we can deter and eliminate IUU.
“While we maybe limited as individual nations, we must always remember that our strength is through collaboration.
“Real economic growth and financial independence can be realised if we work towards plugging the gabs that contribute to significant losses from our natural resources.
“Let us work together and learn from one another.”
