Monrovia – European experts will be arriving in Liberia this week to conduct a two-day training of Liberian fisheries inspectors and monitoring personnel. The capacity-building event will take place in Monrovia on 8-9 December.
Representatives of the European Commission (EC), the European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA), the Spanish Fishing Monitoring Centre (FMC), the Liberian FMC and the Bureau of National Fisheries (BNF) will participate in the training.
On the request of Liberia, the workshop will focus on remote tracking of tuna vessels. Participants will reinforce their knowledge of vessel monitoring tools such as the Automatic Identification System (AIS) and the satellite-based Vessel Monitoring System (VMS).
The training has been organised in the framework of the five-year Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement (SFPA) and protocol between the European Union and the Republic of Liberia, signed on December 9 last year.
Under this agreement, Spanish and French purse seiners and surface long-line vessels who pay the appropriate licence fees can fish for tuna and tuna-like species in Liberian waters.
In addition, the EU pays an annual compensation to Liberia, including money to support the Liberian fisheries policy.
This includes measures to reinforce fisheries monitoring, control and surveillance, as a way to ensure sustainable fisheries in Liberian waters. This training further contributes to that goal.