National Plan of Control and Inspection for Marine Fisheries ( 2020-2024 ).

This National Plan of Control and Inspection for Marine Fisheries (2020-2024) is a sectoral policy document. The Strategic Goal is to address the 4 key areas identified in the risk assessment. The key areas where strategic intervention is required are: Licensing to fishing vessels, which includes registration/recording of fishing vessels, and communication and coordination between the competant authrities; Stopping fishing in unauthorised or protected areas; Preventing fishing with illegal gear, including unauthorised fishing gear; Apprehending foreign vessels fishing without authorisation in waters under Cambodian jurisdiction. The specific strategic goals shall include inter alia: Ensuring that all fishing vessels and all fishing operations comply with national legislation and Cambodia's international obligations, including catch, processing, import and export provisions; Implement measures to ensure coordination at national and provincial levels between stakeholders to improve the effectiveness of management and reduce duplication of efforts; Maintain fish stocks at sustainable levels through reducing and eliminating IUU fishing and improving management through the development of Fisheries management plans.
After the establishment of the National Plan of Action to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Marine Fishing (NPOA-IUU) 2010-2024, the NPCl-MF is the second five-year plan in order to strengthen and enhance the protection of coastal and marine fisheries resources. The objectives of the NPCl-MF are to: a) Provide guidance and support for the implementation of activities to implement the relevant international and national legal obligations; b) Implement the strategic guidance for control and inspection; c) Support implementation of marine fisheries management (including future Marine Fisheries Management Plan) and d) Support the implementation of the NPOA-IUU. The assessment of risks, fisheries resources, sustainability of fish stocks and conservation areas which have been conducted during the implementation of NPOA IUU and the review of the NPCI process, have identified the sustainability of fisheries resources and food security as the biggest threats, and these threats as used to determine the objectives of the NPCl-MF. To reduce, deter and eliminate these risks identified, the NPCl-MF contains four strategic objectives: 1. Strengthen the administrative arrangement of the FiA and the FiAC; 2. Procure essential facilities and materials for patrol boats and other equipment for patrolling work; 3. Undertake registration and licensing of the Cambodian fishing fieet, including: Register and record all fishing vessels operating in the EEZ of Cambodia; License all fishing vessels; Issuing logbooks to large and Middle scale fishing vessels; Record all public and private landing sites; etc; 4. Undertake patrolling using vessels and vehicles, and implement an educational principle through prosecution. The actions to implement the NPCl-MF are proposed in the Action Plan of the NPCl-MF. In addition, a selection criteria for inspection, has been defined to evaluate the level of risk of noncompliance (risk profile) in order to determine a "risk code" for vessels (high, medium and low risk).
The NPCl-MF shall be applicable to international and national conservation and management measures to be enforced, including, inter alia: a) All marine capture fisheries in Cambodia's EEZ, including the territorial sea, for small-scale and commercial scale fishing activities; b) All marine capture fisheries involving Cambodian fishing vessels in the EEZ of other States and the high seas; c) All Cambodian fishing ports and landing sites where fishing vessels land their catch, transhipment points and seafood processing companies; and d) All export of fish and fisheries products originating from Cambodia, and import from third party countries and vessels.