Position Paper Country : Ivory Coast Issue : Fisheries Subsidies Commites : WTO

Causes Cte dIvoire, or the Ivory Coast, is situated about 5 to 10 above the equator on the western coast of Africa. Its southern boundary and coastal region face the Atlantic Ocean The Ivory Coast boasts some of the best blue marlin fishing in the eastern Atlantic, especially during the two peak seasons of November/ December (descending migration) and March/April (ascending migration). The main reason for the aggregation of billfish, tuna, wahoo, and other species off the entire coast of West Africa is the shifting frontal zone of the Canary Current and the Equatorial Countercurrent, which particularly affects the Ivory Coast ports of Abidjan and San Pedro. The Ivory Coast also has untapped inshore and estuary fishing potential due to the presence of four large rivers that are navigable for short distances and have related estuaries. These are the Cavally and Sassandra Rivers near San Pedro, and the Bandama and the Como Rivers near Abidjan. All hold huge tarpon, snapper, jacks, grouper, barracuda, and sharks. Policy Sierra Leone is closing its international shipping registry to foreign-owned fishing vessels in a move intended to reduce illegal catches in its seas and around the world, the fisheries minister said on Thursday.Officials said the West African country -- notorious as a so-called "flag of convenience" with minimum enforcement of maritime regulations -- was the first such nation in the world to implement the measure."When these vessels fly our flag they go to the open ocean and there's nothing we can do about it," Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources Joseph Koroma told a news conference."We are saying enough is enough, the buck stops here."The minister added that the ban on foreign-owned shipping would only apply to fishing craft. Other commercial vessels will still be able to register in the country.Sierra Leone's devastating civil war came to an end eight years ago. Now between 40 and 50 foreign-owned fishing vessels are signed up with a registry in New Orleans that allows them to fly the country's green, white and blue flag.Activists say these ships use the flag to disguise illegal activities and their identities, using banned fishing gear and operating inside an inshore fishing zone reserved for artisanal fishermen in Sierra Leone itself as well as much further afield. Solution Ivory coast with other country like UK, and ghana was cooperated to make a Maritime and Fisheries Legislation. Following the arrest of a fishing vessel in Ghanaian waters, fisheries and maritime laws in Ghana and Ivory Coast were reviewed to assess the definition of boundary

delimitation, and the legal basis for maritime boundaries in the two countries in accordance with the UNCLOS. The consultant contacted relevant national and international organisations to consider the validity of maritime boundary delimitation and enactment of appropriate laws and regulations in relevant countries. A short report was written to comment on the dispute, and the impact of uncertain boundaries on the legal position of the vessels arrest. Armensius pebrian sinaga Unpad, ivory coast , WTO