NOAA Fisheries' Office of Law Enforcement (OLE) has conducted several trainings in Botswana and Thailand on how to tackle illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, teaching officials from 19 countries on best practices to combat the issue.
The counter-IUU trainings are offered through agreements brokered by the U.S. Department of State in an effort to identify illegal fishing at its source and prevent IUU-tainted products before they get to U.S. markets.
OLE and NOAA General Counsel traveled to Gaborone, Botswana, in January to lead a course with the International Law Enforcement Academy for 37 lawyers, enforcement officers, and officials from the nations of Botswana, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Nigeria, Seychelles, and Mauritius. Like prior classes, the course used hands-on experiences, trainings with new tools, and example scenarios to learn about IUU fishing.
“Participants share knowledge about their country’s legal frameworks and challenges they face regarding IUU fishing,” NOAA Fisheries said in a release. “During these often lively conversations, neighboring countries work together to solve some of their challenges. This enables them to bring back best practices to their home governments about how to better enforce and prosecute fisheries violations.”
NOAA Fisheries said it has conducted the course six times between Bangkok, Thailand, and Botswana, with 214 participants from 19 nations. It plans to conduct more trainings in those cities later this year.
