Monitoring Control Surveillance/Vessel Monitoring System/Port State
Control and Import-Export Division
The
main objective/s of the division are amongst others to implement the
conservation and management measures for
· combating
Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing;
· monitoring
licensed fishing boats/vessels in the EEZ of Mauritius through the
VMS;
· keeping
the port free of illegal fishing boats/vessels;
· controlling
import and export of fish and fish products;
· ensuring
that only legally caught fish are traded; and
· ensuring
a continuous supply of safe fish and fish products for local
consumption.
To
attain these objectives, national, regional and international tools are utilised
such as the Fisheries and Marine Resources Act and its associated Regulations
(VMS, Import/Export, etc.), the National Plan of Action to combat IUU fishing,
FAO Port State Measures, Online electronic port state measures (e-psm), United
Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), Code of Conduct for
responsible fishing, Resolutions of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) and
Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources
(CCAMLR).
The
Division is also involved in projects implemented by the Indian Ocean Commission
(IOC). These include the observer programme and the national and
regional fisheries surveillance programmes. As such, fishing
activities of the Mauritian flagged fishing vessels are monitored during their
fishing campaigns. In the regional fisheries surveillance programme which is
also known as the Plan Régional de Surveillance des Pêches dans le Sud Ouest de
l’Ocean Indien. At the national level, Officers of the Division participate
regularly in fisheries surveillance missions undertaken by the National Coast
Guard in the EEZ of Mauritius.
PORT
STATE CONTROL UNIT
The
Port State Control Unit is based at the One Stop Shop - Seafood Hub located at
the Trade and Marketing Centre in the Freeport Zone, Mer Rouge, Port Louis. The
main activities carried out by the Port State Control Unit are listed
below:
· Boarding and
inspection of fishing boats/vessels (both local & foreign).
· Issue
Departure Clearances to local fishing boats/vessels to leave port for fishing
campaigns.
· Monitor all banks
fishing vessels during unloading operations to ensure that no toxic or
undersized fish are being unloaded.
· Issue
authorisation for landing of fish to all fishing vessels calling in the
port.
· Issue
of Catch Certificates for fish caught by the local fishing vessels.
· Endorse
Processing Statements for fish and fish products intended for export to the EU
market.
· Validation of the
Bigeye tuna re-export document, IOTC Bigeye Tuna Statistical Document and IOTC
Swordfish Statistical Document.
· Validation of the
Dissosticus Export Document (DED).
· Supervise
unloading of Patagonian tooth fish in the Port and reporting the exact weight to
CCAMLR.
· Online processing
of Advance Request for Entry into Port (AREP) from Agents through e-psm
(IOTC).
· Carry out survey
for local fishing vessels prior to departure.
VESSEL
MONITORING SYSTEM
The
Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) housed at the Fisheries Monitoring Centre
situated at the Albion Fisheries Research Centre plays an important role to
prevent, deter and eliminate IUU fishing. The main activities of
the VMS are listed below -
· to
monitor fishing activities of local and foreign licensed fishing vessels for
better protection and management of the fisheries resources in
the EEZ of Mauritius.
· VMS
monitors the location, speed and direction of licensed fishing vessels by means
of Inmarsat and Argos satellite-based tracking systems.
· Verification
of logbooks against VMS data.
CONTACT
DETAILS
Officer in
Charge, One Stop Shop – Seafood Hub
Ministry of Blue
Economy, Marine Resources, Fisheries and Shipping
1st
Floor, Trade and Marketing Centre,
Freeport Zone,
Mer Rouge
Port
Louis
Republic of
Mauritius
Phone: +(230) 206
2829 and Fax: +(230) 206 2650)
IMPORT AND EXPORT
UNIT
Import
and Export of fish and fish products is controlled by the Import/Export Unit of
the Ministry of Blue Economy, Marine Resources, Fisheries and Shipping which is
based at the One Stop Shop Seafood Hub. The main objectives of the Import/Export
Unit are to ensure that:
· only
good quality and wholesome fish and fish products are marketed in the
country;
· the
products have been certified fit for human consumption by the Competent
Authority of the exporting country;
· there
are fair trade practices;
· there
is a constant supply of fish on the market;
· the
products intended for import or export do not originate from Illegal
sources;
· all
importers and exporters are registered with the Ministry;
· imported fish and
fish products are in line with the international requirements (WTO, Codex
Alimentarius and the EU);
· any
fish and fish products entering or leaving the country complies with the
legislations in place.
Import of fish
and fish products
For
the purpose of controlling import of fish and fish product the Ministry has
promulgated the “Fisheries and Marine Resources (Import of Fish and Fish
Products) Regulations - 2012”. This regulation was subsequently amended in
2016 by the “Fisheries and Marine Resources (Import of Fish and Fish
Products) (Amendment) Regulations 2016”. Prior to importation of any
consignment of fish or fish product the importer shall:
· be
registered to the Ministry of Blue Economy, Marine Resources, Fisheries and
Shipping;
· pay
to the Director General MRA – Custom an annual import fee; and
· comply
with the requirements and standards stipulated by the Regulations.
Registration of
importers
For
the issue of a Registration Certificate the applicant shall be holder of a valid
Trade Licence, Food Handlers Certificate, Certificate of Incorporation or
Business Registration card and have appropriate storage and transport
facilities. To be registered the person –
· shall
submit a duly filled in application form for registration; and
· provide
copies of the required documents (Trade Licence, BRN, Certificate of
Incorporation, Food Handlers Certificate, Transport facilities, cold storage
facilities and utility bills);
The
Registration Certificate is issued to the importer for a period of one calendar
year (from January to end December).
Payment of annual
import fee
The
importer shall pay an annual import fee of Rupees 25,000 to the MRA-Customs. For
the purpose of payment, the person shall produce to the MRA-Custom the
registration certificate issued by this Ministry and his ID card and Tax Account
Number (TAN).
Providing
information on import
The
importer shall provide to the Ministry such information on the consignment of
fish/fish products intended for import as follows -
· Common
and scientific name of fish/fish products;
· The
quantity intended for import;
· The
country of origin;
· Name
of establishment or farm or fishing vessel exporting the fish;
· Registration
and approval number of the exporting establishment;
· The
competent authority in the exporting country;
· Type
of products intended for import;
· Purpose
of import;
· Place
of storage;
· Transport
and distribution;
· Retail
sale; and
· FAO
Fishing Area.
The
importer shall seek approval of the Ministry prior to import any fish and fish
products. The import authorisation is valid for a period of four months and may
be subject to such terms and conditions as deemed fit.
Import
requirements
The
importer shall ensure that the consignment of fish or fish products imported
into Mauritius meets all the requirements and standards stipulated in the
“Import of Fish and Fish Products Regulations 2012” and the amendments
thereof.
Specific
import requirements
1. To
import any fish species listed in Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species (CITES), approval is required from the local CITES Office at
Réduit. The consignment should also be accompanied by a CITES Certificate issued
by the authority in the exporting country.
2. Fish intended for
import shall not originate from IUU fishing.
3. Tooth fish shall
be accompanied by a Dissosticus Catch Document (DCD) and Dissosticus Export
Document (DED).
4. Bigeye
tuna and Sword fish should be accompanied by a bigeye and swordfish export
document.
5. Tuna
and tuna like species shall be accompanied by a Catch Document issued by the
flag state of the fishing vessel.
6. All
consignments of fish or fish products should be accompanied by a Certificate of
Origin.
7. All
consignments of fish or fish products should be accompanied by a health
certificate issued by the Competent Authority of the exporting country.
8. Toxic
fish species are not authorised for import except Bourgeois fish from Seychelles
intended for the hotels.
9. Shark
fins should be attached to the body. The weight of shark fins should not exceed
5% of the total weight of carcass on board the fishing vessel.
10. Fish
species (capitaine, butterfish and sacrechien) is subject to quota system and
shall not be imported unless authorized by the Ministry.
11. Fish
fillets shall be properly labelled and presented skin on.
Inspection and
clearance
1. All
consignments of fish and fish products shall be inspected and cleared by an
authorized officer of the Ministry.
2. The
importer shall inform the Import/Export Unit of the arrival of the consignment
and make arrangement for inspection in the custom area.
3. The
import documents should be submitted to the Import/Export Unit prior to
inspection of the consignment.
4. The
importer or his agent should be present at the site of inspection.
5. The
consignment of fish or fish products should be checked physically to ensure
compliance.
6. The
consignment may be removed from the custom area only after verification and
clearance from this Ministry.
7. After
removal from the Customs area, the authorized officer may thoroughly check the
whole consignment at the cold store/warehouse/quarantine during unloading of the
fish or fish products.
Collection
of Samples
1. Samples
of fish or fish products may be collected at the container terminal or the cold
rooms for laboratory analysis or for identification purposes.
2. The
samples shall be collected by an authorized officer.
3. The
samples of fish or fish products shall be sent for analysis at laboratories
designated by the Ministry.
Seizure
of fish or fish products
The
whole lot, batch or consignment of fish may be detained or seized by an
authorized officer, if the products do not comply with the “Fisheries and
Marine Resources (Import of Fish and Fish Products) Regulations 2012” and
the amendments thereof and the terms and conditions imposed by the
Ministry.
Disposal/destruction
of fish & fish products
· Any
consignment of fish and fish products imported in breach of the regulations and
conditions of import shall be seized by the authorized officer.
· The
Permanent Secretary shall dispose of any consignment of fish or fish products,
forfeited or seized in the manner he may deem fit.
· The
importer of any product seized and destroyed under the regulation shall not be
entitled to any compensation.
Export of fish
and fish products
According
to Section 25 of the Fisheries and Marine Resources Act, no person shall export
from Mauritius any fish and fish product except with a permit issued by the
Ministry. A permit issued under the Act may be subject to such terms and
conditions as may be determined by the Permanent Secretary.
Export
permit
The
exporter of any fish or fish product shall be holder of a valid export permit
issued by the Ministry.
1. The
person shall apply to the Import/Export Unit of the Ministry in writing for a
permit to export fish and fish products.
2. The
application in writing should provide details on the consignment intended for
export.
3. The
application is processed by the Import/Export Unit of the Ministry.
4. After
approval, an annual export permit is issued to the exporter within 5
days.
5. The
export permit is valid for a period of one year (from January to end
December).
Requirements for
the issue of an export authorisation
1. Any
consignment of fish and fish products intended for export/re-export/transhipment
should be authorized by an authorised officer of the Ministry. Upon
satisfaction, the authorized officer may issue an export authorisation to the
MRA-Custom to allow export of the consignment.
2. Copies
of export documents should be provided at the time of verification and
clearance.
3. Export
authorizations are issued by authorised officers on a consignment
basis.
4. Fish
for personal consumption, live ornamental fish for personal aquarium, samples of
fish meant for laboratory analysis and stuffed fish are authorized directly at
the One Stop Shop Seafood Hub.
5. Export
of live ornamental fish shall be certified by the Competent Authority Seafood
and authorised by the Import/Export Unit before shipment.
6. Any
consignment of fish or fish products intended for export to the European Union
shall be accompanied by a Catch Certificate issued by the Competent Authority of the Flag State of the fishing Vessels.
7. The
processed fish or fish products intended for export to the EU shall be
accompanied by a Processing Statement issued by the Port State Control
Unit of the Ministry.
Export/Re-export/Transhipment
1. All
export/re-export/transhipment of fish or fish products shall be authorised by
the Ministry before shipment of the consignment.
2. The transfer of
any consignment of fish from the Container Terminal to the Freeport Area should
be authorised/cleared by this Ministry.
3. Any movement of
fish/fish products from the Freeport zone to the Mauritian market, foreign
country or movement within the Freeport Area should also be authorised/cleared
by the Ministry.
Certification of
fish and fish products
1. Any
consignments of fish and fish products intended for export shall be verified and
certified by the Competent Authority – Seafood, based at the One Stop Shop Seafood Hub.
2. The
consignment of fish or fish products shall be accompanied by a Health
Certificate as per the requirement of the importing country.
3. Stuffed
fish shall be accompanied by a certificate from the Division of Veterinary
Services of the Ministry of Agro Industry and Food Security.
CONTACT
DETAILS
Officer in Charge
Import/Export Unit,
Ministry of Blue
Economy, Marine Resources, Fisheries and Shipping
1st
Floor, Trade and Marketing Centre,
Freeport Zone,
Mer Rouge,
Port
Louis
REPUBLIC OF
MAURITIUS
Phone: +(230) 206
2820 / 206 2826 and Fax: +(230) 206-2672
Email address: -
impexpfish2016@gmail.com
