How regional project catalysed a concerted front against illegal fishing

Coastal fisheries produce over 1.5 million metric tonnes of fish annually. [File, Standard]

For more than 25 years, illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing in the South West Indian Ocean was largely treated as a technical fisheries issue. It was discussed in regulatory forums, captured in surveillance reports, and addressed through isolated enforcement operations.

Along the coastlines of East Africa and South West Indian Ocean countries, however, the consequences have never been abstract. They have been felt in declining fish stocks, shrinking incomes, and mounting pressure on communities whose livelihoods depend on the sea.