A team from the Fisheries Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea (FCWC) Secretariat comprised of Mrs Abena Asante, Fisheries Technical Adviser, Viviane Koutob, Project Manager, Mamadou Ball, Technical Assistant and Ere-Walson, MCS Compliance Officer, participated in the launch of the Interregional Maritime Security Institute’s 2019 Training Courses on fisheries inspection in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, from 18th-22nd February 2019.
The Interregional Institute of Maritime Security (ISMI) and the French Department for Security and Defense Cooperation (DCSD) organized the training course hosted at the Regional Academy of Sciences and Techniques of the Sea (ARSTM), in Abidjan, Côte d‘Ivoire. The aim was to build capacity in the Gulf of Guinea States for maritime safety, security, and protection of the marine environment and resources in accordance with commitments made at the Yaoundé Summit of Heads of State in 2013.
The training topics covered included the Law of the Sea, impacts of IUU fishing, targeted species, fishing techniques, regional fisheries management organizations in the Gulf of Guinea, and techniques for preserving evidence, among others.
The visit also enabled the team to conduct technical visits to the National fisheries department and the Maritime Security Regional Coordination Centre for Western Africa (CRESMAO), to share planned activities for 2019 for the projects under implementation and identification of opportunities for collaboration in fisheries sustainable management.