Description
In order to combat fisheries crime, tools need to be introduced at a national and international level to prevent illegal fishing operators from benefiting economically from these activities. INTERPOL encourages local, national and international wildlife and fisheries authorities to implement effective management strategies aimed at preserving natural resources.
Project Scale is an INTERPOL initiative to detect, suppress and combat fisheries crime. The project was launched during the 1st INTERPOL International Fisheries Enforcement Conference in February 2013. Meetings that followed the conference at the INTERPOL General Secretariat in Lyon, France, marked the beginning of the permanent Fisheries Crime Working Group.
Project Scale is part of Interpol’s Environmental Crime Programme, with support from The Pew Charitable Trusts, the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation.
Aims of Project Scale
• Raise awareness regarding fisheries crime and its consequences
• Establish National Environment Security Task Forces (NESTs) to ensure institutionalized cooperation between national agencies and international partners
• Assess the needs of vulnerable member countries to effectively combat fisheries crimes
• Conduct operations to suppress crime, disrupt trafficking routes, and ensure the enforcement of national legislation
Activities
• Create a strategic plan for INTERPOL’s role in capacity building, information exchange and operational support
• Develop the Fisheries Crime Working Group
• Create a case study on fisheries crime in West Africa
• Enhance expertise and expand INTERPOL’s international marine enforcement network
• Provide expert recommendations on more effective and efficient fisheries-related environmental law compliance and enforcement
• Conduct region- or commodity-specific operations tailored to the needs of vulnerable areas, such as the West African coastal region
Sources: http://www.interpol.int/Crime-areas/Environmental-crime/Projects/Project-Scale
