A one-week workshop was held at Davina House from the 7th – 10th of November 2017 for the Formulation of National strategies and action plans to improve compliance with the agreement on Port State Measure attended by experts from FAO, FFA, SPC, Ministry of Primary Industries – New Zealand, Fisheries officials from Cook Islands and government officials from line ministries.
The agreement on Port State Measures calls upon all member countries to develop and implement a consistent national Plan of Action and to provide a guideline/checklist of supporting actions for implementing the FAO Agreement on Port State Measures at operational and capacity development at the National level. Tonga signed the Port State Measures Agreement in 2016, aiming to eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, through globally agreed minimum standards for concerted action, enabling better inspections and controls at the ports and on vessels and strengthened flag state responsibility.