The FAO has undertaken an official mission to SVG to facilitate an in-country interagency workshop from 15 – 19 August, 2022. The workshop is to be delivered in the framework of the Port State Measure Agreement (PSMA) implementation capacity support project GCP/INT/313/SWE. It had as its main objective the review, adoption and signature of the draft interagency MOU, which has been developed as part of the project activities.

Invitees to the workshop included participants from all of the 11 national authorities, which are expected to participate in the implementation of the MOU and will hence be signatories. Participants should include for each authority an official of sufficient seniority to sign such an MOU. The Agencies involved are as follows: The Fisheries Department (FD), Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries, Rural Transformation, Industry and Labour; Maritime Administration (MARAD), Ministry of National Security, Air and Sea Port Development; St. Vincent and the Grenadines Port Authority (SVGPA), Ministry of National Security, Air and Sea Port Development; Coast Guard Service (CGS), Ministry of National Security, Air and Sea Port Development; Customs and Excise Department (CED), Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning, Sustainable Development and Information Technology; Ministry of Legal Affairs (LA); Environmental Health Services (EHS), Ministry of Health Wellness and the Environment, Royal Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force (RSVGPF), Ministry of National Security, Air and Sea Port Development; Passport and Immigration Department (PID), Ministry of National Security, Air and Sea Port Development; Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Consumer Affairs and the Sustainable Development (SD), Ministry of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Sustainable Development and Culture.

This MOU provides a foundation for collaboration, cooperation and information exchange in the implementation of the 2009 FAO Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing and associated instruments and mechanisms and acknowledges that the Fisheries Department (FD) is the overall lead agency (in cooperation with the other above-mentioned agencies and authorities) with the responsibility for monitoring, control and surveillance and ensuring compliance with measures applied to fishing and fishing related activities.

The mission will also facilitate a final review of the recently drafted revised Fisheries and Aquaculture Legislation before it is subjected to public review. The facilitators are Mr. Glenn Quelch of the FAO Fisheries Global and Regional Processes team (NFIFP), Mr Osvaldo Urrutia Legal Expert and Mr. Buba Bojang of the FAO Development Law Service (LEGN).

SOURCE: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries, Rural Transformation, Industry & Labour