Since 2022, the country has had a control and monitoring center for local and international vessels to prevent illegal fishing. A European Union commission that visited the country recently applauded Panama’s work in this area.

Unreported and unregulated illegal fishing (Indnr) is one of the most serious crimes facing global society today. Panama, being a country bathed by two seas (Atlantic and Pacific), does not escape that reality. To combat this practice in the country, strict surveillance measures have been taken in order to protect food security, specifically with fishery products. 

To this end, the Panama Aquatic Resources Authority (Arap), through the Fisheries Control and Monitoring Center, has been monitoring since 2022 on boats, local and international, that insist on practicing illegal fishing in national waters. 

Flor Torrijos, administrator of the Arap, reported

Torrijos indicated that this fisheries control and monitoring center allows sensitive areas to be protected against illegal fishing, especially in places declared as protected and exclusive economic areas.

With this, the Arap can give satellite monitoring to about 280 fishing fleet vessels, fishing vessels so that Panamanian laws and international standards are complied with, especially those of the European Union, Torrijos said. 

To this is added the monitoring of about 232 inland fishing service vessels. Monitoring includes transport and fishing support boats that are registered with a Panamanian flag. 

The administrator added that fishing provides a vital source of food, work, trade and economic well-being both to those who practice it and to the communities that live from artisanal fishing. 

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing is responsible for the

this impact, the FAO detailed that the goal of objective 14 of the agenda of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations (UN) recommended that the international community “effectively regulate fishing exploitation and put an end to excessive, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, and destructive fishing practices.”

The FAO also recognized that population growth is constant and hunger is a persistent problem, so fish has become an important product for achieving food security. But the efforts of the international community to ensure sustainable fishing are threatened by illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing activities. 

In an effort to strengthen inter-institutional ties, there was recently a meeting between the Minister of Environment, Milciades Concepción, and Deputy Commissioner Luis Rodríguez, assigned as a representative of the Ministry of Security at the Illicit Fishing Monitoring Center. 

This center aims to combat environmental illegality “Unregulated fishing is one of the marine problems worldwide, guilty of the decline of species and depletion of natural resources,” Rodríguez acknowledged. 

The specialized multidisciplinary environmental team (EME), arises as part of the actions carried out by MiAmbiente with the support of the PACT (initiative of the European Union and Latin America) for the investigation and prosecution of crimes in all its forms. In

second time to the country that is at risk of being classified as non-cooperating, as the EU Embassy told EFE. 

In 2019, the Directorate General of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries of the European Commission (DG MARE) lifted a yellow card against Panama for not having adequate controls against Indnr fishing. However, if Panama does not follow the suggestions, Panama could receive a red card, which would make it impossible for local entrepreneurs to continue exporting the fishing resource to that market made up of 27 countries. 

During its visit, the EU Commission found that in Panama there are serious deficiencies in terms of control, in particular on fishing activities and related activities of vessels that fly the flag of Panama, in addition to

However, the European Union pledged to continue supporting Panama in terms of technical cooperation to maintain and deepen the progress of this nation, especially when the country in this process shows a path of hope. 

The European mission met with officials from the Ministry of Agricultural Development, the Arap and the Panama Maritime Authority (AMP), and agreed that the country will have to wait until December 2023 for the (DG MARE Arap in a statement. 

Thanks to the constant monitoring against illegal fishing, the National Naval Air Service (Senan) and the Arap surprised on April 6 the boat named Yakadi, in the port of Vacamonte, West Panama province, carrying out the activity of illegal fishing. He was seized 2,553 pounds of fish. 

The activity was carried out one mile from the place of detention of the ship, which did not have the authorization to set sail from the port of Panama. 

As for the sanctions, the authorities will be the ones to apply them.