Belize High Seas Fisheries Unit Fighting Illegal, Unreported and - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Belize High Seas Fisheries Unit Fighting Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing and Regain Access to the EU Market

Introduction “ A battle lost or won is easily described, understood, and appreciated, but the moral growth of a great nation requires reflection, as well as observation, to appreciate it. ” ~ Frederick Douglass

Background  Evaluation Mission, November 2010  Deficiencies Identified  Inadequate legal framework  Lack of adequate monitoring  Lack of deterrent sanctioning system  Improper implementation of the Catch Certification Scheme  Pre-Identification of Belize as a non-cooperating third country (November 2012).  Identification of Belize as a non-cooperating third country (November 2013)  Listing of Belize as non-cooperating third country (March, 2014)

Belize’s Progress  Adoption of High Seas Fishing Act , 2013  Establishment of Belize High Seas Fisheries Unit  Adoption of Sanctions and License Regulation, March 2014  Adoption of Monitoring, Control and Surveillance Regulation, May, 2014  Adoption of National Plan of Action for IUU Fishing  Establishment of Fisheries Monitoring Center  Establishment of Observer and Inspection Programmes  Adoption of fleet policy aligned with national capacity

Charting the Way Forward  Enhancing national capacity  Continued collaboration with the EU  Regaining access to the EU Market  Fighting IUU Fishing

Conclusion The fight against IUU Fishing is everybody’s business.

Thank You  Questions?