MCS (Monitoring, Control and Surveillance) are the mechanism for implementation of agreed policies, plans or strategies for fisheries management. The absence of effective MCS operations renders a fisheries management scheme incomplete and ineffective.
measuring is always the 1st step :-)
In early March of this year (2016), two big events will take place in Auckland that deal with some aspects of this grounding pilar of good good fisheries management.
WWF's MCS Emerging Technologies Workshop
This event will take place on March 3-4, 2016 in Auckland, New Zealand. This workshop is organised in partnership with the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA), the New Zealand Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) and in conjunction with the International Monitoring, Control and Surveillance (IMCS) Network's 5th Global Fisheries Enforcement Training Workshop (GFETW).
The workshop will allow technology providers the opportunity to fully understand the unique challenges and circumstances faced by MCS professionals working in the multi-billion dollar tuna fishing industry.
Several new technology providers will be presenting their advancements, including varieties of aquatic and aerial drones, satellite remote sensing, cloud computing solutions, video imaging, and other exciting technological innovations that could play a role in monitoring, control and surveillance.
Moreover, the workshop will serve as a forum to address questions about emerging technologies such as how or if those new technologies might make MCS efforts more economical, efficient, or effective by engaging experts and vendors who have implemented the technologies in a variety of circumstances.
I'm very lucky to have been invited as a presenter on the work we have been doing with FIMS and iFIMS. I'm very interested to see the other advances on these topics as synergies are always an exiting prospect.
And then the week after we have
Fifth Global Fisheries Enforcement Training Workshop
Where MCS practitioners from around the world will convene in Auckland, New Zealand from 7–11 March 2016 for the Fifth Global Fisheries Enforcement Training Workshop (5th GFETW), organised by New Zealand’s Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) in partnership with the International MCS Network.
The GFETWs are biennial conferences intended to improve and enhance capacity and communications between MCS professionals from around the world. They offer MCS practitioners a unique opportunity to discuss and resolve issues relating to their work and facilitate international cooperation between national fisheries enforcement authorities, which is essential for promoting compliance and thus sustainability of fish stocks.
The 5th GFETW will build on the past four Workshops (Malaysia in 2005, Norway in 2008, Mozambique in 2011 and Costa Rica in 2014), which have succeeded in raising awareness of the importance of MCS as well as fostering new and stronger relationships among MCS professionals. Like its predecessors, the 5th GFETW will promote cooperation between enforcement authorities across national borders, build trust between MCS practitioners and deliver information about the latest, most effective MCS technologies, programs and strategies.
The themes of the 5th GFETW will be be “Toitu Te Moana” (“Sustaining the Life Force of the Sea”) and “Kahore He Wahi Heihuna” (“No place to hide”), as explained more fully in the Prospectus. The focus of the Workshop will be on “Regional and global collective efforts in combatting IUU fishing using effective MCS management tools including enforcement powers to protect the sustainability and cultural and economic viability of all fish stocks.”
Planned Workshop topics include:
- Case studies of International and Regional Cooperation
- MCS Partnerships, Sponsorship and Technical Assistance, including government–nongovernment arrangements
- Successfully-introduced Cost-effective MCS Tools
- New MCS Technologies and Methodologies
- MCS Capability and Capacity Building Activities
- Case Studies of the Utilisation of MCS Tools in Indigenous Fishing Communities and Archipelago Nations
- Development of an MCS IUU Risk Framework
- FAO presentation on Instruments, Future Risks and Opportunities
Again, I'm very lucky to have been invited as a presenter on the work we have been doing with the "Landing or Unloading Authorisation Code" and its interface with the ecds.fimsportal.com
If any of you comes over, please let me know and love to catch up :-)