G16 Like-Minded Coastal States 36th session commences

The 36^th session of the G16 Like-Minded Coastal States meeting commenced on Thursday.

Minister of Fisheries and Ocean Resources, Ahmed Shiyam, inaugurated the event and in his remarks, emphasized the G16’s role in “amplifying the voices of the coastal states” and ensuring their rights are accounted for in the decisions taken to manage tuna stocks in the Indian Ocean.

While highlighting the Maldives’ progress through turbulent economic times, the Minister alerted the road forward would also “not be easy”.

“The Maldives, have been involved in the G16 not out of self-interest, but out of a sense of responsibility – responsibility to our people, to our fishers, and to the future generations who will inherit these waters,” Minister Shiyam said in his opening remarks.

He further remarked that Maldives is the most dependent on fishing among all the Indian Ocean countries.

Minister Shiyam also emphasized the importance of maintaining dialogue in ways that would ensure the fisheries families and the employment scope in the industry do not attract unfavorable outcomes.

The meeting’s main objective is to discuss and arrive at a conclusion on the resolution submitted by the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) on setting catch limits on tuna and other fish.

If the parties to the meeting reach an agreement on the resolution, it will be put to a vote for approval at the next IOTC annual meeting.

Besides the Maldives, fisheries ministries of Australia, Bangladesh, Comoros, Iran, Kenya, Malaysia, Mozambique, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Tanzania, and the Thailand are attending this two-day meeting.

World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF), Sustainable Fisheries and Communities Trust (SFACT) and South West Indian Ocean Tuna (SWIOT) are attending the meeting as observers.

It has been 14 years since the IOTC member states have been deliberating on setting a catch limit on tuna and other oceanic fish from the Indian Ocean.