The tenth Meeting of the Parties of the Southern Indian Ocean Fisheries Agreement (SIOFA), being held in hybrid mode, kicked off, on Monday morning, at the Ravenala Attitude Hotel in Balaclava, in the presence of the Minister of Blue Economy, Marine Resources, Fisheries and Shipping, Mr Sudheer Maudhoo.
The Southern Indian Ocean Fisheries Agreement (SIOFA), signed in 2006 and entered into force in June 2012, is a regional fisheries management organisation for the conservation and sustainable use of fishery resources, namely non-tuna stocks, in the waters beyond national jurisdiction in the Southern Indian Ocean region. It concerns fish, molluscs, crustaceans and other sedentary species within the area, but excluding highly migratory species and sedentary species subject to the fishery jurisdiction of coastal states.
To date, the Agreement area covers more than thirty million square kilometres with ten Contracting Parties: Australia, the People’s Republic of China, the Cook Islands, the European Union, France on behalf of its Indian Ocean Territories, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Republic of Mauritius, the Republic of Seychelles and the Kingdom of Thailand.
The main objective of the SIOFA is to ensure the long-term conservation and sustainable use of the fishery resources in the Area through cooperation among the Contracting Parties. It promotes, as well, the sustainable development of fisheries in the Area, while taking into account the needs of developing States bordering the Area that are Contracting Parties to this Agreement, and in particular the least developed among them and Small Island Developing States.
More than a hundred participants are taking part in the Meeting of Parties scheduled until 07 July 2023. They will, among others, review the state of fishery resources, including their abundance and the level of their exploitation; promote and, as appropriate, coordinate research activities as required on the fishery resources; evaluate the impact of fishing on the fishery resources and on the marine environment; and formulate and adopt conservation and management measures necessary for ensuring the long-term sustainability of the fishery resources.
