Port State Measures Implementation

Port State Measures Implementation powered by OceanMind

To quote the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation : “The Agreement on Port State Measures (PSMA) is the first binding international agreement to specifically target illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. Its objective is to prevent, deter and eliminate IUU fishing by preventing vessels engaged in IUU fishing from using ports and landing their catches. In this way, the PSMA reduces the incentive of such vessels to continue to operate while it also blocks fishery products derived from IUU fishing from reaching national and international markets. The effective implementation of the PSMA ultimately contributes to the long-term conservation and sustainable use of living marine resources and marine ecosystems. The provisions of the PSMA apply to fishing vessels seeking entry into a designated port of a State which is different to their flag State.”

OceanMind assists Port States with the effective implementation of the PSMA through capacity needs analysis, in-depth training and capacity building programmes across all relevant departments, and hands-on analysis to risk assess all vessels seeking entry in to port to offload catch.

OceanMind has been supporting governments and industry in Southeast Asia by analysing advanced request for entry into port (AREP) documents, providing a robust risk assessment for every vessel including carrier and donor vessels in the request, to verify the legality of the catch on board. OceanMind cross checks the activity reported on these AREP forms ensuring that all foreign-flagged vessels can be analysed and risk assessed to ensure compliance with relevant regulations.  Checks include:

• Identity of fishing vessels and their catch areas are properly reported in the AREP
• Compliance with regional and national regulations can be independently verified
• Vessel licensing for fish caught in relevant catch areas can be validated and corroborated
• Identify risks in vessel behaviour for follow up investigation (such as slow vessel speed in fishing areas, unreported transhipments, gaps in transmission, etc).

Where non-compliant activities are suspected, OceanMind will investigate further and provide recommendations to support inspection.

OceanMind’s expertise in effective implementation of the PSMA simplifies the process, allowing for a fast and efficient delivery against treaty obligations.  Our proven plan allows for rapid deployment to prevent IUU fish being landed through your ports.