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RI convenes FAO meeting to bolster fight against illegal fishing
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FAO director general Qu Dongyu (on screen) addresses the fourth Meeting of the Parties to the FAO Agreement on Port State Measures (PSMA) in Kuta, Bali on May 8, 2023. (Courtesy of FAO Indonesia/-)
I
ndonesia and other members of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) convened in Bali on Monday in hopes of strengthening the Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA), a binding international treaty designed to prevent, deter and eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing practices globally.
As global food prices rose for the first time in a year on the back of recovery-driven demand and a growing population, countries are increasingly aware of the need for more sustainable food production.
Among maritime nations, this means overcoming challenges posed by IUU fishing practices, which threaten the conservation and sustainable use of marine resources and ecosystems, as well as the livelihoods of 600 million people that depend on them, according to FAO director general Qu Dongyu.
In a speech to open the Fourth Meeting of the Parties to the FAO Agreement on Port State Measures, Qu said that sustainable capture fishing and aquaculture have great potential to feed and nourish the world’s growing population and the increasing demand for healthy food.
But in order to make the most out of marine resources, the world must eliminate the threat posed by IUU fishing.
“The PSMA can support the transformation of sustainable fisheries worldwide,” Qu said in a recorded message.
The PSMA is the first binding international agreement that specifically targets IUU fishing. It prohibits vessels engaging in such practices from accessing ports, thus blocking any catches derived from them from entering the market.
