FOROYAA Newspaper (Serrekunda)
Annia B. Gaye
8 March 2008
A two day national training workshop on strengthening the negotiation capacity for fishing agreements was opened on Thursday 28 February 2 at Palm Grove Hotel in Banjul.
The Permanent Secretary, Department of State for Fisheries, Water Resources and National Assembly Matters, Mr. Lamin Nyabally, in deputising for the Secretary of State stated at the opening that the training is important as it will enhance negotiation skills and techniques which he said could serve as a catalyst for better conservation of the marine resources.
He noted that the fisheries sector has continued to play an important role in national development efforts. He underscored his department's resolve and commitment in achieving the Millennium Development Goals by ensuring significant reduction in poverty, increased food security, increased employment opportunities and increased foreign exchange earnings by way of sustainable management, exploitation and utilisation of fisheries resources.
He noted that they need to uphold the principle of protection of the biological diversity of species and the preservation of the environment. He further noted that, The Gambia is among the members of the international and sub-regional organisations such as the Fisheries Committee for the Eastern and Central Atlantic (CECAF) and the Sub Regional Fisheries Commission (SRFC).
"It is therefore prudent that given our common interest for sustainable management of the fisheries resources and the protection of marine environment we develop our negotiation skills for fishing agreements," he said. This, he said, will no doubt make it possible for them to ensure rational exploitation and utilisation of this scare resource and prevent over fishing among others. "Given the migratory nature of our fish stocks within the sub-region, countries are bound to share this common heritage and thus agreements have to be in the spirit of good neighbourliness, inter and intra regional cooperation, especially now that the high value demarsals stock are reported to be dwindling," he said.
Ardiatou Njie, Director of Fisheries, noted that negotiating fishing agreements whether reciprocal or compensatory agreements is always a complex exercise that requires proper planning, strategising and team building with strong emphasis on conservation. He said the training is pertinent to our situation in the sub-region and The Gambia in particular.
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