The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) will host the International Symposium on FishCRIME from the 12-13 October 2015 in Cape Town.

The symposium is a joint initiative of DAFF, the Norwegian Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries, Stop Illegal Fishing and PescaDOLUS.

The FishCRIMES symposium will be held within the context of highly organised, well-financed transnational criminal activities that are taking place in fisheries sectors around the world. The illegal harvesting, processing and trading of fish globally is now being  linked to a wider black economy, a parallel economic system that detracts from sustainable and sound national economic growth and is frequently linked to complex webs of organised crime.

The symposium will provide both a space and a process for stakeholders to consider issues related to intercepting criminal networks and prosecuting those in charge. Cooperation, both domestically and transnationally between fisheries experts and police, customs, tax, port, security and labour authorities to father and share information and intelligence and bring the criminals to book are among the exhaustive topics that will be discussed.
 
Participants are expected from 31 countries around the world, with representation from all the major agencies dealing with fisheries crime.

Media is invited to join the event on both days.

For more information please contact Palesa Mokomele, Director: Communication Services (Fisheries) at PalesaM@daff.gov.za or call on 0829041908 or 021 402 3702.

For RSVP please send your name, surname and contact details to MerleVD@daff.gov.za.

A concise programme will be sent through detailing the different topics and speakers. Interested journalists can find further information on the FishCRIME website on www.fishcrime.info.