Maritime Police Unit recently participated in a coastal community workshop in Com to discuss the development of a National Plan of Action to combat Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated fishing (NPOA-IUU). The NPOA-IUU document is currently being developed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries as the strategic development plan for managing fisheries compliance. As part of this process consultations with fishing communities are being held in both Com and Atauro.
Deputy Commander of Maritime Police, Manuel Pereira discusses strategies for addressing illegal fishing in the Com area.
Maritime Police participated in the Com workshop to gain a better understanding of the nature of illegal fishing within Timor Leste, and to work with the community of fishermen to develop stategies for preventing illegal fishing.
Maritime Police discuss the illegal fishing issues with the fishing community in Com
Commander of the Maritime Police Unit, Superintendent Lino Saldanha was very pleased with the opportunity to participate.
“It is critical that the Maritime Police Unit works closely with the fishing community to address the problems of illegal fishing. This event is the first of many that I wish to conduct in all coastal communities in Timor Leste”