Bi-National Workshop on Small Fishing Vessel Safety 9 July 2008, Chennai, India

The Bi-National Workshop on Small Fishing Vessel Safety (BNW-SFVS) was held in Chennai, India, on 09 July 2008. It was organised jointly by the FAO, the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA), the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, Alaska, USA (NIOSH) and the BOBP-IGO. Taking part were 18 delegates from the FAO, SIDA, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), and NIOSH; the two countries concerned, India and Sri Lanka; representatives of boatbuilders; and the BOBP-IGO secretariat.

The workshop discussed safety issues resulting from the motorization of small fishing craft and the construction of FRP fishing vessels in India and Sri Lanka. A draft Technical Guideline for FRP fishing craft in India and Sri Lanka was presented, a simplified and adapted version of Canadian standards for safety of small vessels, and an FAO/IMO document on the same subject.

The workshop recommended that fishing craft should be classified on the basis of their area of operation (inshore, offshore, oceanic, etc) and the height of the wave they faced and not on the traditional length of the fishing vessel and the use of engine. The workshop also recommended strict quality control measures for FRP boatyards and fishing vessels.

National Workshop on Monitoring, Control and Surveillance 1-2 Dec. 2008, Chennai, India

The National Workshop on Monitoring Control and Surveillance to design an Action Plan for implementation of MCS in India was held on 1-2 December 2008 in Chennai. It was jointly organised by the Government of India and BOBP-IGO. Representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture, the Planning Commission of the Government of India, the Coast Guard, the Mercantile Marine Department, the Department of Fisheries of the coastal states of Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and the Union Territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, took part, along with representatives from fisher groups and a representative of the FAO.

The workshop reviewed the status of fisheries resources in India and of the coastal states and Union Territories. It discussed in detail such issues as (i) registration and licensing of fishing boats, demarcation of zones, colour coding, communication and surveillance infrastructure; (ii) estimation of fishing capacity, maximum sustainable yield and optimization of fishing fleet; (iii) governance, policy and legislative support to MCS; and (iv) human resource development and (v) the role of non-governmental and community-based organizations in MCS.

On the basis of the deliberations, an Action Plan was prepared to be considered by the Government of India. The Action Plan urged validation of resource stocks, streamlining of registration and licensing procedures, regularization of data collection procedure, training of government staff concerned, and measures to involve local communities in MCS of fisheries resources.

National Workshop on Monitoring, Control and Surveillance 22-23 March 2009 in Malé, Maldives

The National Workshop on Monitoring, Control and Surveillance in Marine Fisheries, Maldives, was organized on 22-23 March 2009 in Malé, jointly by the Government of Maldives and the BOBP-IGO. Taking part were the Minister for Fisheries and Agriculture, the Deputy Minister for Fisheries, representatives from the Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture, the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade and the Marine Research Centre, besides select fishers and representatives of industry. The workshop reviewed the progress of Maldives in organizing MCS of its fisheries resources, and developed an Action Plan to be considered by the government.