Mozambique's National Maritime Institute (INAMAR) has called for the adoption of strategic measures and technical training to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.

The executive director of INAMAR, Leonid Chimarizene, made this appeal on Monday, during the launch of a training course for maritime inspection officers, taking place in Maputo in partnership with the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) and the European Union (EU).

The training, under the slogan: "Evidence well collected, cases well solved", brings together magistrates, naval officers, coastal police officers, inspectors and technicians linked to maritime inspection, with the aim of improving the collection of evidence, investigation and prosecution of cases in the fisheries sector.

According to Chimarizene, illegal fishing causes considerable damage to the national economy and therefore requires coordinated, effective and sustained responses.

"Among the main infringements detected are fishing without a license in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), the use of unauthorized nets, the catching of protected species in prohibited areas and the transhipment of fish on the high seas," he said, adding that "national territory has been used as a transit route for products derived from illegal fishing, such as shark fins and abalone."

For her part, IOC representative Tiana Randiambola stressed that illegal fishing is a serious threat to the sustainability of marine resources and food security in the region. "In this case, the real impact of this type of training lies in the practical application of the knowledge acquired and the collaboration that continues after the session. We need more robust national systems, but also well-articulated regional mechanisms between neighboring countries," he said.

Randiambola added that the action is part of a broader strategy to consolidate regional governance in the fisheries sector.

The European Union representative, Alex Garcia, explained that the EU will continue to support projects that are strongly committed to promoting a sustainable economy. "We are promoting legal fishing and we are pleased to support regional organizations, represented here by the IOC and INAMAR," he said.

The training in Mozambique is part of a cycle of national training courses promoted by the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC), in collaboration with the IOC, following a regional course held in Mauritius in September 2022. The aim of the program is to implement, at national level, the best practices described in the technical manual "Evidence in Fisheries Offences: Effective Collection and Use", published by the IOTC in 2022.

 

(Photo DR)