Strong port state measures are crucial to ensuring that illegal, unreported or unregulated fishing has no market to land their catch and cuts profit to illegal operators. In December 2024, the 4th Steering Group Meeting of the Intelligence-led Fisheries Port Controls programme took place in Antananarivo, Madagascar. Hosted by Madagascar's Ministry of Fisheries and Blue Economy, through its Fisheries Surveillance Center (CSP), this key gathering brought together representatives from 10 participating countries, programme technical teams from TMT and Global Fishing Watch, as well as observers from regional fisheries bodies and mechanisms, and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
The Intelligence-led Fisheries Port Controls programme was established to assist African nations in implementing The Port State Measure Agreement (PSMA), a vital international treaty that aims to set minimum standards for controlling foreign fisheries vessels accessing ports. The programme helps to enhance national authorities’ ability to monitor and understand foreign fishing operations in their ports and mitigate exposure to IUU fishing risks.
The programme leverages the expertise of TMT and Global Fishing Watch, combining sophisticated fisheries intelligence and analysis with cutting-edge vessel tracking data to support African countries. Its innovations include tools such as "PSMA Port Profiles,” which provide a three-year AIS-based overview of foreign vessel traffic, and Vessel Viewer, which offers port inspectors quick access to vessel activity histories for targeted inspections.
Six new countries
The meeting reflected the conclusion of a successful year for the programme, which onboarded six new countries (Benin, Guinea, Liberia, Madagascar, Nigeria, and Togo) in addition to the original four pilot countries (Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, and Senegal). A baseline study conducted across the new participant countries was presented, detailing current PSMA implementation statuses and challenges.
Discussions highlighted improvements to the analytical tools offered by the programme, including updates to the Port Profiles methodology and the launch of quarterly AIS-based port-visit summaries to be distributed in 2025. These enhancements aim to provide deeper insights, enabling authorities to better evaluate and strengthen their Advance Request for Entry to Port (AREP) procedures.
Regional collaboration for greater impact
The meeting included a working group session aimed at improving intra- and inter-regional collaboration for PSMA implementation. Using a recent successful investigation into a transnational IUU fishing case by the FCWC West Africa Task Force and the SADC-MCSCC as a model, participants explored how faster information-sharing networks across regional mechanisms could streamline due diligence processes and bolster document verification efforts during AREP assessments.
Training local inspectors
Following the Steering Group meeting, a two-day training workshop was conducted for 15 CSP fisheries inspectors from Madagascar’s five PSMA-designated ports. The workshop focused on equipping participants with hands-on experience in utilizing the advanced functionality of the Vessel Viewer tool. By working through scenario-based exercises, the inspectors refined their skills in vessel document verification and AREP assessments, strengthening their capacity to prevent IUU activity at key ports.
Looking ahead
The outcomes of the 4th Steering Group meeting are set to shape the next stages of the Intelligence-led Fisheries Port Controls programme, which is expected to continue its mission to combat IUU fishing through mid-2026. These efforts represent a crucial step towards ensuring sustainable fishing practices, safeguarding ocean ecosystems, and protecting the livelihoods tied to these resources.
This meeting not only reaffirmed the commitment of participating countries to combating IUU fishing but also demonstrated the power of collaboration, technology, and capacity-building in addressing marine resource challenges across regions.
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