On May 24 and 25, 2023, the Inter-American Defense Board organized, at the traditional Casa do Soldado facilities in Washington, its II Maritime Security Workshop. Held with the support of the company SAILDRONE, the event aimed to expand Hemispheric Maritime Situational Awareness in relation to Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing, as well as learn about the actions of various actors, civil and military, in the sector, identifying mechanisms and strategies for the most efficient use of military resources to face this challenge.
At the opening of the event, the President of the Council of Delegates, Vice Admiral Alexandre Rabello de Faria, highlighted the importance of the countries working together, improving inspection mechanisms and investing in new monitoring and control technologies in the fight against IUU fishing, contributing to the sustainability of marine resources and security on the American continent.
The workshop was divided into four panels. The first two presented an overview of the situation of IUU fishing in the Americas, in addition to good practices, suggestions and possibilities of cooperation for the Naval Forces and Coast Guard in combating the problem. The last two provided a space for discussion and exchange of knowledge among participants, seeking to identify low-cost systems and technologies capable of contributing to the increase of Maritime Situational Awareness in the Americas.
The first panel addressed the economics of IUU fishing and food security, with participation from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and NLA International. The second discussed the cooperation and regulation of the sector, with the participation of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the Inter-American Defense College.
The third panel explored new perspectives for the Americas and included the participation of the United States Navy, the Brazilian Navy, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, OceanMind and the company Saildrone. The fourth panel, entitled “IUU Fisheries: a European look”, included the participation of the European Union, the Norwegian Coast Guard and the Marine Management Organization of the United Kingdom.
The II Maritime Safety Workshop was held in person and virtually and was attended by approximately 1,300 people from 36 countries.
Presentations from the event are available at the following YouTube address: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bT1njNWxTBs
