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SEAFO improves fisheries monitoring in the South East Atlantic but stops short of banning non-sustainable fishing practices

The 13th annual meeting of South East Atlantic Fisheries Organisation (SEAFO) ended on 2 December in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. SEAFO members adopted an EU proposal to upgrade the system of fisheries monitoring and compliance.The meeting also adopted total allowable catches for the main SEAFO species, based on scientific advice.

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International Fisheries

date:  06/12/2016

Regrettably however, it failed to adopt binding measures to ban gillnets, direct deep-water shark fishing and shark finning. The European Commission, which had tabled the bans, regrets this missed opportunity to combat non-sustainable fishing practices, and strongly encourages action in these areas as a way to push for the protection of the ecosystem.

A second SEAFO performance review found that the organisation was well structured to deal with fisheries management in its waters, participants heard.

SEAFO is a regional fisheries management organisation aiming to ensure the long-term conservation and sustainable use of the fishery resources in the shared waters of the South East Atlantic Ocean. Members include Angola, the European Union, Japan, Korea, Namibia, Norway and South Africa.