Photo credit: Stop Illegal Fishing
Combating Wildlife Trafficking Case Study: Shared Communications
FISH-i in East Africa Stop Illegal Fishing Summary
FISH-i Africa was established by Stop Illegal Fishing in 2012. Uniting the eight East African coastal countries of Comoros, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, Somalia, and Tanzania, FISH-i created an informal network that shares information and intelligence through a shared communications platform. This regional cooperation, coupled with dedicated data analysis and technical expertise, has catalyzed enforcement actions and created transparency to challenge corruption. Sharing real-time vessel data and accessing satellite tracking expertise enables authorities to identify and act against illegal operators and will ultimately contribute to the end of illegal fishing in the Western Indian Ocean.
Problem
Illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing poses unique enforcement challenges. Crimes mainly take place at sea – and out of sight – making the true extent of it difficult to quantify. Global losses from illegal fishing are estimated to be as high as $23.5 billion annually. Illegal operators motivated by profit target key hotspots for their operations, including the major tuna fishery in the Indian Ocean. FISH-i countries all feel the economic, social, and environmental harm caused by illegal fishing, yet have limited resources and capacity Learning Question to effectively monitor and regulate it.
Addressed:
What factors are necessary for effective cooperation among national, sub-national, and local authorities, especially for Wildlife Enforcement Networks?
Illegal fishing frequently goes hand-in-hand with other crimes such as vessel identity fraud, document forgery, and human trafficking. Fisheries enforcement officers are at the front line of identifying and tackling these issues, but often receive inadequate or insufficient training. With crimes and violations taking place across multiple jurisdictions, addressing them requires the collaboration of multiple agencies at the national, regional, and international levels. The opportunity for failure of enforcement is high, as language barriers, bureaucracy, lack of will, and corruption all present formidable barriers to the effectiveness of enforcement actions.
FISH-i Africa | Combating Wildlife Trafficking Case Study | Page 1