Government and non-government personnel have a new training resource to support fishing vessel recognition and determinations of fishing gear type. Launched today by the IMCS Newtork and TM-Tracking the MCS Practitioners Introductory Guides will support better monitoring and compliance inspection practices by those who play an operational role in the fight against IUU fishing.
Today’s industrial fishing methods, particularly those utilized in distant water fishing vessels, are highly complex operations in terms of the gear used, fishing activity, catch storage, and vessel track monitoring. Many of the vessels operating in these fisheries are active in countries where the government agencies responsible for fisheries MCS have limited opportunity to become familiar with these operations, and the associated compliance and fisheries management risks.
The first gear guides launched today focus on Longline Fishing, Pole and Line Fishing, and Purse Seine Fishing. In further support of building an introductory understanding of the key considerations and needs of vessel inspections, a fourth guide Industrial Fishing Vessel Inspections is also released as complementary to the gear guides.
Each guide provides an overview of how to recognize vessels by the specific gear type, a description of the fishing operation, an overview of the gear and related equipment used, guidance on vessel positional tracking, and key issues for fisheries compliance and enforcement officers to be aware of during the conduct of an inspection. These training tools introduce common international industrial fishing vessel gear types and operations associated in the majority of global distant water fisheries and to build knowledge in personnel working in all relevant government agencies, including fisheries, port authorities, and the Coast Guard, Navy, and maritime security agencies who may play an operational role in fisheries MCS. They are also made available for use by a broader interested fisheries stakeholder community.
Further guides on Trawl Fishing and Refrigerated Carrier Vessel (Reefers) are planned for release in early 2022.
‘We are hugely pleased to be launching this new series of training guides in cooperation with the IMCS Network. We have aimed to answer a request put to us by many of the government agencies we work with – that there is need for straightforward, informative guides on the workings of common industrial fishing vessels and gears that are active in distant water fisheries, their operational risks, and their MCS considerations, to assist with training, awareness and planning. We hope that the global MCS community finds them useful!’
Duncan Copeland, TMT Executive Director
“This series will be instrumental in supporting the fight against illegal fishing; many maritime authorities are broadly trained in security and policing strategies and procedures but have less time and resources to have their personnel study and become familiar with the wide range of fisheries gear and practices employed in distant water fisheries. Our Network Members and Observer organizations have long seen the need for accessible introductory training guides to support those colleagues involved in fishing vessel boardings and inspections. We are thrilled by the quality of these new training guides completed in collaboration with Trygg Mat Tracking, a valuable partner organization of the IMCS Network”
Mark Young, IMCS Network Executive Director.
Download from IMCS Network Here!
Purse Seine Fishing: English, Spanish, French
Pole and Line Fishing: English, Spanish, French
Longline Fishing: English, Spanish, French
Industrial Fishing Vessel Inspections: English, Spanish, French
The Guides can also be download at TMT. To print high resolution copies, please contact info@tm-tracking.org to request the print file.
TMT and the IMCS Network strongly encourage the use, reproduction, and dissemination of these guides. Material may be copied, downloaded, and printed for private study, research, and teaching purposes, or for use in non-commercial products or services, provided that appropriate acknowledgement of Trygg Mat Tracking and the IMCS Network as the source and copyright holder is given.