The Pacific Islands’ fight against illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing has gone up another notch with the successful completion of a five-day training in Fiji of fisheries officers of 10 island nations. With the leadership of the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA), headquartered in Honiara, the fisheries officers have returned to their respective offices to spearhead the efficient capturing and analyzing of data on tuna catches and tuna fleet that are fishing in Pacific waters. “The five day RIMF training has been very productive and participants now return to work armed with the new knowledge on how they can capture data better,” said Kenneth Katafono, FFA’s Manager IT and lead trainer of the RIMF workshop.

Further six trawlers from the Community fleet will be allowed to operate in Mauritanian waters in the framework of the Partnership Agreement in the fishery sector between the European Community and Mauritania. The decision was taken at the extraordinary Joint Committee held in in Nouakchott, where it wasl also analysed the way in which the EU will support the Mauritanian fisheries sector and the MACAPEL investment project was discussed.

An extraordinary Joint Committee, held at the initiative of the EU, took place in Nouakchott, Mauritania, on 15-16 November in the framework of the Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the EU and Mauritania. The Parties reviewed the implementation of EU support for the Mauritanian fisheries sector, introduced new fishing opportunities for EU trawlers, and discussed the MACAPEL investment project. The Parties noted with satisfaction the progress made in implementing the sectoral support funds and agreed to earmark 6 million euros to support infrastructure works in the artisanal fishing port of Tanit.

Technicians from the Technological Centre of Marine Affairs (Cetmar) are travelling to Mozambique to train staff from scientific institutes in cephalopod stock assessment and in sampling for mollusk farming. Contributing to the fight against poverty and living condition boost and food security in rural and coastal communities in the province of Cabo Delgado is the general objective of the actions being carried out by Cetmar Foundation in Mozambique together with the National Institute of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development (IDEPA) and of the National Institute of Fisheries Research (IIP).

The Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, Sherry Ayittey, has requested the private sector participation in developing aquaculture, after highlighting the viability of the business venture. Speaking at the 32nd National Farmers’ Day celebrations at Kintampo, the minister appealed private sector actors to support the development of aquaculture along its value chain, especially in the areas of financing and technical assistance. In addition, the official stressed the fact that the Ministry has created an enabling environment for the private sector to leverage on to help boost aquaculture in the country, GhanaWeb reported.

The Ministerial Council of the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM), the top policy and decision-making arm of the CARICOM agency, met on Thursday in Grand Cayman for its sixth special meeting. The meeting was held as part of the Caribbean Week of Agriculture, which is hosted in the Cayman Islands under the theme “Investing in Food and Agriculture”. High on the Ministerial Council’s agenda are plans to develop marine capture fisheries and aquaculture across the Caribbean, with the aim of reducing the region’s US$4 billion food import bill, while building a Caribbean seafood cuisine brand that the region and the world can embrace as a safe and healthy choice.

Spanish company Atunlo said it had opened a tuna processing plant in the city of Mindelo on the island of São Vicente in Cabo Verde (Cape Verde). The factory was inaugurated by partner José Antonio Pernas, attended by the Prime Minister of Cabo Verde, José Maria das Neves, according to the Faro de Vigo newspaper. The plant will have capacity to produce 40,000 tonnes of tuna per year, or roughly 100 tonnes per day with a capacity to process not only frozen tuna, but also to can about 3,000 tonnes of fish. Atunlo SL controls 51% of the capital of the Mindelo factory, the Ubago Group’s Frescomar has 33% and Frigrove, controlled by Comercial Pernas (Coper), has 16%. The Mindelo tuna factory will give work to 300 people.

A Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) was first formulated in the Treaty of Rome. Initially linked to the Common Agricultural Policy, over time it has gradually become more independent. The primary goal of the CFP, as revised in 2002, is to ensure sustainable fisheries and guarantee incomes and stable jobs for fishermen. Several changes to the fisheries policy were introduced in the Treaty of Lisbon. In 2013 the Council and Parliament reached agreement on a new CFP, for the long-term environmental, economic, and social sustainability of fishing and aquaculture activities.

With the aim of promoting legal, environmental, economic and social governance frameworks for sustainable fisheries, of gaining access to key fishing areas of the world or of promoting monitoring, control and surveillance schemes to combat illegal fishing, the European Union has concluded more than 20 international fisheries agreements. The European Union concludes bilateral agreements such as sustainable fisheries partnerships and reciprocity agreements, or multilateral agreements such as agreements with regional fisheries management organisations and international conventions.

Prime Minister and Minister for Marine Resources Henry Puna signed the agreement after meeting with the Solicitor General David James and Secretary of Marine Resources Ben Ponia.The signatory on behalf of the EU is the current President of the Council of the European Union, Donald Tusk.Under the Partnership, the Cook Islands will receive nearly $US7 million over a 4-year period in return for providing access to four European flagged purse seine fishing vessels which will target the migratory and abundant skipjack tuna.