Source & Author: Andina
Peru will take stronger measures to combat illegal fishing incursions by foreign vessels once the Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA) is implemented, Production Minister Pedro Olaechea said Tuesday.
“The implementation of this international agreement will strengthen Peru’s policies and goals to prevent predation of water resources and guarantee their preservation,” he underlined.
Set to combat and eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, the agreement will come into effect starting this year. Remarks were made as he opened the 2nd Symposium on PSMA, in the presence of speakers from Chile, Mexico, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Peru, among others.
Production Ministry’s General Directorate for Supervision, Control, and Sanction is preparing the agreement’s implementation. PSMA will help tighten up sanctions against vessels involved in IUU fishing in Peruvian waters.
About PSMA The agreement was adopted by the FAO Conference in 2009. Its main purpose is to prevent, deter and eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing through the implementation of robust port State measures.
It envisages that parties, in their capacities as port States, will apply the agreement in an effective manner to foreign vessels when seeking entry to ports or while they are in port. The agreement is binding and stipulates minimum port States measures. However, countries are free to adopt more stringent measures than those outlined in the accord.