As of 1 March 2022, SPRFMO has joined the influential global membership of the International Monitoring, Control and Surveillance (IMCS) Network. 

SPRFMO's application was vetted by leadership at the International MCS Network in February, following the conclusion of the SPRFMO Annual Meeting where the SPRFMO Commission approved the Organisation becoming a member. 

SPRFMO has very clearly demonstrated its desire to take a leadership role in the fight against illegal fishing, like that of the more than 70 other national, regional, and intergovernmental institutions who are also IMCS Network members. The IMCS Network’s extensive membership is a clear indication of the importance of working cooperatively together to advance and increase the effectiveness of global fisheries related MCS efforts.

As part of the International MCS Network, SPRFMO will be able to more effectively collaborate with other members and Observer organizations to advance research and MCS best practices in some of the world’s most vulnerable ecosystems. SPRFMO will have the ability to both collaborate more closely with other members and to share MCS information of interest (to the extent permitted by its confidentiality requirements) as well as benefit from capacity building exercises.  SPRFMO will also be able to join other IMCS Network members in Halifax, Nova Scotia for the 7th Global Fisheries Enforcement Training Workshop current scheduled for 30 July – 04 August 2023. 

“We look forward to partnering with SPRFMO in the fight against Illegal Unreported and Unregulated fishing, as well as to help facilitate the work of the recently-formed informal Pan Pacific Fisheries Compliance Network of which the SPRFMO Compliance Manager is current Chair,” said Mark Young, Executive Director of the International MCS Network. 

The International Monitoring, Control, and Surveillance Network was established in 2001 to provide a mechanism for fisheries law enforcement professionals to share information, calibrate tools, and collaborate on policy development to monitor the increasingly complex harvesting and marketing of fish around the world. As part of its work, the IMCS Network offers virtual MCS support to its members and other stakeholders including interactive MCS webinars and website services at www.imcsnet.org.