Closing session of the Fishcrime Symposium in Cape Town, South Africa
After two days of frank, honest and robust engagements between representatives of civil society, the NGO community, government law enforcement agencies, INTERPOL and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) there was recognition that fisheries crime is part of transnational organised crime and should be taken seriously.
Fisheries crime is a threat to sustainable marine resources management, to food security and to stable communities.
All the parties to the meeting are in agreement that the complexity of fisheries crime requires a global response and a closer cooperation amongst governments and between members of civil society.
There should be political will and readiness by all relevant authorities to combat the scourge of fisheries crime and there is a need to mobilise and share resources and information and to promote interagency cooperation nationally and globally in fighting the transnational criminal networks engaged in fisheries crime.
The symposium further noted that illegal fishing activities are often associated with human trafficking, tax evasion, money laundering, trafficking in narcotics and counterfeit goods, hence the need for closer cooperation amongst all relevant government agencies.
Delegates were encouraged to cooperate and to utilise the INTERPOL services and tools through their national central bureaus in pursuing investigations of transnational fisheries crime. Governments were encouraged to investigate cases of forced labour, human trafficking and human rights abuses against their nationals by perpetrators of fisheries crime.
The meeting was seen as a major milestone bringing members of civil society, government agencies, the NGO community and intergovernmental bodies together in the fight against fisheries crime.
There was general agreement that there should be continuity in the forum meetings and the broadening of participation to include fisheries industry players and more African and Asian countries.
The symposium brought together 31 countries, 17 of whom were from the African continent. It was held at the International Convention Centre in Cape Town and was a joint initiative of South African Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the Norwegian Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries, Stop illegal Fishing and PescaDOLUS.
