Reports of the IOC/FAO/IOTC symposium and workshop to strengthen port state measures in the Indian Ocean

The Symposium was held with the purpose of raising general awareness about the potential effectiveness of strengthened and coordinated port State measure and to develop national capacity and promote regional coordination so that countries would be better placed to improve the management of offshore fisheries and combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing in the Indian Ocean and, as a result, meet the requirements of relevant RFMOs.The Symposium addressed a broad range of issues fundamental to the implementation of effective port State measures. Issues and initiatives addressed in the Symposium included the international and regional frameworks for port State measures, the legal tools and mechanisms that might be used to implement such measures, the role of information systems, human resource development and stakeholder actions. The convenors of the Symposium and Workshop expected that they would result in improved capacity for countries to strengthen and coordinate their port State measures with the objective of better managing offshore fisheries and deterring IUU fishing.