A new report prepared by Stop Illegal Fishing presents the work of the FISH-i Africa Task Force and identifies action and cooperation still needed to tackle illegal fishing in the Western Indian Ocean.
The report, 'FISH-i Africa: Our future' summarises findings of the Task Force regarding the nature of illegal fishing and related fisheries crimes in the Western Indian Ocean, and outlines the role of flag, coastal, port and market States in the ongoing fight against illegal fishing.
The report lays out a plan to tackle the systematic illegalities that were identified through Task Force investigations. The planned programme, called VIGILANCE, aims to increase compliance and identify vessels that are operating illegally, by systematically verifying and cross-checking documentation and physical characteristics of vessels flagged and licensed in the FISH-i area. To be effective, such an approach will require national inter-agency cooperation, regional coastal State cooperation and global information exchange, and the new report outlines a way forward to achieve this in the region.