By Navendra Seoraj

GUYANA will, in a matter of days, employ the Port State Measure Agreement (PSMA) in an effort to ensure the safety of fishermen and to guard against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.The Conference of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations adopted the agreement on PSMA in November 2009 to prevent, deter and eliminate IUU fishing; and has since been working assiduously to implement strategies outlined in the agreement across the Caribbean.

The PSMA is a legally binding inter-nation agreement which establishes a duty for port states to take a number of measures against foreign-flagged fishing vessels and other vessels supporting or servicing fishing vessels.

At a workshop held at the Cara Lodge on Quamina Street in Georgetown on Monday, the FAO explained how the PSMA will benefit Guyana. This workshop attracted participation of officials from the security sector and other agencies.

Legitimate fisher folk have, for decades, faced many difficulties in dealing with IUU. According to FAO Representative to Guyana, Reuben Robertson, IUU fishing continues to be a threat to effective management of fishing resources in the Caribbean, despite many efforts by Governments and other stakeholders to combat it.

“This leads to the loss of both short- and long-term social and economic opportunities, and contributes to negative effects on food security and environmental protection…. If IUU fishing is not dealt with, it can lead to the collapse of fishery, or seriously impair efforts to rebuild stocks that have already been depleted,” Robertson declared.

Illegal fisher folk tend to break rules which protect the aquatic environment and stocks from harmful fishing activities, and violate basic safety-at-sea requirements, thus putting themselves and others at risk. In order to abolish these malpractices, several regional fishery management organisations, such as the International Commission for the Conservation of the Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), have, over the last decade, adopted the PSMA, with outstanding results.
Therefore, in order to reel Guyana into the PSMA, Robertson said: “In coming days, we will discuss the responsibilities, requirements and activities in relation to the implementation of the PSMA; assess the institutional and human capacity available, and estimate the expected costs and benefits of the PSMA…. Procedures, inspection systems and forms will be discussed and tested to prepare for implementation.”

The focus of the training workshop will be on practical ways in which port state measures can be used as powerful and cost-effective tools to combat IUU fishing activities, he said.

VICTIM FOR TOO LONG
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, George Jarvis, welcomed the discussions on PSMA, and stressed that Guyana has for years been a victim of IUU fishing.

“Over the years, there have been many talks and deliberations as to how we could go about making our seas better and creating a safe haven for fisher (folks). However, talks led to nothing; but in this case, there is hope that something substantial will arise following this workshop,” Jervis said as he hailed the idea of the PSMA.

The PSMA aims to put an end to ports of non-compliance. These are ports that attract IUU fishing vessels because of their lax controls, and to assist port state authorities that are unwittingly allowing foreign IUU fishing vessels into their ports.

The implementation of this will see to the enforcement of management measures taken by regional fisheries management organisations in areas of the high seas. Thus an adequate, well-trained fisheries inspectorate is a key feature in the successful operation of port state measures.

The Government of Guyana acceded to the PSMA on March 3, 2016. By so doing, Guyana joined many trade partners for fish, shrimp and fisheries products. Among these partners are the European Union and the United States of America, as well as 18 other countries.

The accession by Guyana to the PSMA honours previous agreements in which Guyana is involved at regional level to ratify and implement the PSMA, such as those under the Caribbean Community Common Fisheries Policy (2014).
It also increases opportunities for Guyana’s flagged fishing vessels to continue operating on the high seas, legitimately fishing, trans-shipping and accessing foreign ports and export markets, thereby increasing income for the treasury.

Moreover, it enables Guyana to provide the necessary traceability for products demanded by export markets, providing proof that fish have been legally caught, landed, transported and exported.