Following the signing ceremony, Liberia's DG Glassco and Hon. Toure displayed the MoU. Ivory Coast. Last week, the Liberian government's National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority (NaFAA) signed a fisheries Memorandum of Understanding with the government of Cote D'Ivoire's Ministry of Fisheries.
The MoU aims to promote and facilitate cooperation in fisheries inspection and related activities.
Liberia and Côte d'Ivoire Sign Fisheries Memorandum of Understanding
This ensures adequate jurisdiction and control over flagged fishing and fishing-related ships of the Parties following their national laws and regulations and international conventions.
According to a dispatch from the Ivorian Capitol in Abidjan, this is to prevent, deter, and eliminate IUU fishing. Simultaneously, a NaFAA press release quoting the MoU stated that it would also exchange information on related activities to strengthen fisheries governance.
During the signing ceremony in Abidjan, Ivory Coast's capital, the Director General of the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority, speaking through an interpreter, stated that the presence of the Liberia delegation was to put the FAO Port State Measure Agreement into practice.
This is by defining their collaborative roles in combating the illegal, unreported, and unregulated menace affecting coastal states. According to Madam Emma Metieh Glassco, studies have shown that fisheries are under significant pressure globally.
Also, in the West African sub-region, particularly from high-level IUU fishing, for which the FAO Port State Measure Agreement was approved at the 2009 FAO conference.
"IUU fishing, as it is known, has been described by the international community as one of the most serious problems affecting the world's fisheries and one of the major obstacles to achieving global sustainable fisheries."
Mrs. Glassco also explained that the MoU signed by Liberia and Ivory Coast aims to deter, prevent, and stop illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
The Port State Measure Agreement, which seeks to ensure the sustainable use of marine living resources, long-term conservation, and marine ecosystems, will be implemented to accomplish this.
He was speaking on behalf of the government and people of Ivory Coast, Hon. Sidi T. Toure, Ivorian Minister of Fisheries, stated that Ivory Coast would soon begin what he called a closed season by the end of 2022.
He requested Liberia's participation. Minister Toure proposed that Liberia and the Ivory Coast submit a request to ATLEFCO for a joint campaign to facilitate sharing the experience of fisheries monitoring, control, and surveillance. "I intend to follow up on this implementation."
The Ivory Coast's fisheries minister stated that they would soon follow Liberia's example of joint observation patrol on its waters to unreported and combat illegal and unregulated fishing activities, thanks to Liberia's collaboration with Sea Shepherd, a fisheries non-governmental organization. "We anticipated being a part of this agreement and benefiting from it."
Hon. Toure also stated that his government would like to learn from the Liberian fisheries authority, which has most fisheries observers onboard industrial fishing vessels.
Hon. Toure also praised the Liberian Fisheries delegation for traveling to Abidjan for the historic signing ceremony, which will benefit both countries.
