The European Union-funded Improved Regional Fisheries Governance (PESCAO) project (2018-23), has supported the establishment of the RMCSC. With VMS and AIS integrating existing systems, and links to national MCS systems the RMCSC overcomes the FCWC region’s limited capacity to monitor fishing related activity in national exclusive economic zones.
Ensuring the legality and sustainability of fishing and related operations is central to the RMCSC mandate. It will achieve this by providing increased oversight of fishing and vessel activity and help with coordinated approaches to joint action.
In addition, the RMCSC will enhance cooperation, communication and collaboration between FCWC members, regional organisations and internationally. Transparency and accountability will be developed by facilitating the sharing of national level information throughout the region; by cross-checking licence lists; by sharing VMS data and, by encouraging the move to making information publicly available.
Organiser: Fisheries Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea (FCWC). Venue: FCWC HQ, Fisheries Research Institute Building, Tema, Ghana. Date: 12 – 13 May 2021 Participation & Attendance: In-Person and Remotely via Zoom
On May 12th 2021 the Fisheries Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea (FCWC) will officially launch the Regional Monitoring, Control and Surveillance Centre (RMCSC).
The aim of the RMCSC is to address major national, regional and global challenges in stopping illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and related fisheries crimes.
This will be achieved through pooling and analysing information, working in a cooperative manner, promoting cooperation with relevant regional and national authorities and institutions, and building capacity.
The RMCSC will develop and support the following activities:
Vessel monitoring.
Regional Record of Authorised Fishing Vessels.
At-sea patrols.
Regional Observer Programme.
Training and capacity building.
Background
The RMCSC will integrate the West Africa Task Force (WATF) activities that have been established in 2015 under the Fisheries Intelligence and MCS Support in West Africa project – Phase 2 (2019-22) funded by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD). The WATF has operationalised key FCWC agreements to combat IUU fishing. It has strengthened regional information-sharing and cooperation between countries; interagency cooperation at the national level; and enforcement actions triggered by intelligence analysis and intelligence-sharing. The WATF has laid the foundation for longer term and sustained regional cooperation and increased fisheries compliance in the region.
Format of the launch
The launch ceremony will be a two-day hybrid event (in-person and online), hosted at FCWC HQ located at Ghana’s Fisheries Research Institute Building in Tema, Ghana, on 12 – 13 May 2021.
The in-person launch ceremony will be co-chaired by the FCWC Chairperson and current Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, and Fisheries for Benin, M. Gaston Dossouhoui; and the Ambassador of the European Union Delegation to Ghana, H.E Diana Acconcia; in the presence of Ghana’s Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, Hon. Mavis Hawa Koomson.
The audience will include relevant sector representatives, partners and collaborators from the six FCWC countries – Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, and Togo – as well as international civil society and non-governmental organisations.
A virtual technical seminar discussion is scheduled for the next day, 13 May 2021, to demonstrate the RMCSC’s contribution to strengthening coordination in the fight against IUU in the FCWC area through collaboration with partners and other stakeholders. The panel discussions will be organized around three thematic areas:
RMCSC in support of policy and fisheries management implementation in West Africa.
RMCSC in support of capacity building in fighting IUU.
Synergies and partnerships in combatting IUU.
Launch Ceremony Agenda
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