(Basseterre, St. Kitts): A technical and legal team from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) met with Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Marine Resources and Cooperatives, Miguel Flemming and Port State Representatives in the Department of Marine Resources (DMR) on Tuesday 30th May 2023, to discuss and review St. Kitts and Nevis’ Fisheries, Aquaculture and Marine Resources Regulations which is being supported by the Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA) Project.
The FAO legal team comprised, Legal Officers Mr. Buba Bojang and Ms. Eimon Htun, Legal
Consultant Mr. Osvaldo Urrutia-Silva and Monitoring Control and Surveillance Consultant Ms. Esther Boy-Carmona.
The meeting was a follow-up from the FAO Fisheries Global and Regional Team and
Development Law Services’ first visit to the federation in June 2022 to complete a needs
assessment, which resulted in a validated strategy and action plan to effectively implement the PSMA project to combat Illegal Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing and related
activities.
As a result, a legal team was created which included the Department of Marine Resources, the Ministry of Justice and Legal Affairs, the Nevis Island Administration Legal Department and FAO. This team was tasked with the responsibility of reviewing and updating the 2015
Fisheries, Aquaculture and Marine Resources draft regulations in order to have the legal
backing to complete and implement each objective. The objectives identified by key
stakeholders in the 2022-2024 national work plan include, ‘Strengthening the national policy and legislative frameworks to combat IUU fishing, Monitoring Control and Surveillance (MCS) systems that directly support the implementation of port state measures and supporting tools as well as Increase transparency and traceability within the fisheries sector’.
The team wrapped up the visit with the development of the draft regulations and is expected to advance steps by building national capacity to support and improve the federation’s flag, port, coastal and market state performance.
