Indian Ocean fishers discuss illegal catch

UNITED NATIONS, June 21 (UPI) -- Illegal fishing in the Indian Ocean has prompted 13 nations to meet in Mauritius to discuss the problem.

Meeting in the western Indian Ocean island nation, they zeroed in Thursday on one key tool for combating illegal fishing: port security under the auspices of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, which organized the meeting.

"We are now on the threshold of a new era in addressing (illegal) fishing through the key compliance tool of port-state measures ... widely regarded to be one of the most cost-effective means of combating (illegal) fishing," said Ichiro Nomura, assistant director general of FAO's Fisheries and Aquaculture Department.

Tighter port controls make it harder for illegal fishers to offload, refuel and take on supplies. They can include requiring boats to radio-in prior to docking and to carry out in-port inspections. Illegal fishing is a particular concern in the western Indian Ocean and along the east coast of Africa, where fishing boats have taken advantage of the lack of strong enforcement measures in coastal countries.

The two-day workshop comes on the heels of an international symposium organized by the Indian Ocean Commission in partnership with FAO, the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission and the South West Indian Ocean Fisheries Commission, during which country representatives, intergovernmental organizations, industry and non-governmental organizations discussed new measures taken in recent years against illegal fishing in the region.

In March, 131 countries attending a high-level FAO meeting agreeing to start work on a legally binding global accord establishing common port control measures.