The Fisheries Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea (FCWC), in collaboration with its partners Trygg Mat Tracking (TMT) and Stop Illegal Fishing (SIF), conducted a two-day technical visit to Liberia. The mission aimed to strengthening the country’s operational capacity to implement the Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA) and enhance controls over foreign fishing vessels entering Freeport, Monrovia.

 

West Africa’s rich marine resources remain under pressure from Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing and associated fisheries crimes. The PSMA, the first binding international instrument specifically designed to combat IUU fishing, helps countries prevent illegally caught fish from entering the value chain by denying port access and landing opportunities to vessels linked to illegal fishing activities.

 

The technical visit formed part of ongoing regional support to FCWC Member States under the Fisheries Intelligence and MCS Support in West Africa project, supported by Norway.

 

Since 2021, FCWC Member States have also received targeted support for technical and operational PSMA implementation through the programme Supporting PSMA Implementation in Africa: Intelligence-led Fisheries Port Controls, implemented by Trygg Mat Tracking (TMT), Stop Illegal Fishing (SIF) in collaboration with Global Fishing Watch (GFW).

 

During the 2025 national working group meeting, Liberia’s fisheries authorities requested additional technical support to develop Standard Operating Procedures for port controls. In response, this visit focused on establishing stronger processes for analysing Advanced Requests for Entry to Port submitted by foreign fishing vessels, as well as strengthening inspection routines aligned with PSMA requirements at Freeport, Monrovia.

 

The visit brought together a focused group of technical participants, including fisheries inspectors, Fisheries Monitoring Centre operators, the legal adviser of the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority, and other relevant officials involved in vessel risk assessment, Advanced Requests for Entry to Port (AREP) analysis and port inspections.

 

Over the two days, participants reviewed existing procedures, discussed PSMA requirements, examined Ghana’s experience with AREP analysis and vessel inspection SOPs, and worked through the technical requirements needed to develop Liberia’s own Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).

 

The meeting also provided an opportunity to clarify roles and responsibilities for inter-agency coordination in handling AREPs and inspections.

 

Expected outcomes from the visit include draft SOP outlines tailored to Liberia’s port control processes, clearer inter-agency responsibilities, improved technical understanding of PSMA-compliant procedures, and the identification of capacity gaps and priority areas for future training and technical assistance.

 

The visit represents an important step in FCWC’s continued efforts to support Member States in strengthening fisheries monitoring, control and surveillance systems, improving port inspection capacity, and reducing the risk of IUU-caught fish entering regional and international markets.

 
Monrovia, Liberia, 25–26 May 2026

 
Tina Nkansah Akuamoah - Communication Officer