Indian Ocean states set to declare war on illegal fishing

Scientists from 28 countries that border the Indian Ocean are meeting in Mombasa to work out ways of protecting tropical tuna fish whose stocks have been heavily depleted by illegal fishing.

“The main objective of this meeting is to understand better the country status of the tuna species. Technical consultations will advise fisheries administrators of the IOTC (Indian Ocean Tuna Commission) countries as to the actions needed to ensure sustainable exploitation of these species,” Fisheries Development minister, Dr Paul Otuoma, said.

Commercial harvesting of this highly demanded species has shifted to the Indian Ocean, perhaps the only remaining source with viable stocks, IOTC executive director Alejandro Anganuzzi said.

IOTC is an intergovernmental organisation that manages the fishing of tuna, including species such as skipjack, yellowfin and bigeye, across the Indian Ocean and adjacent seas.

The commission has 28 member countries, including Indonesia, India, Malaysia and Australia.

“We shall collect the information, analyse it... and come up with measures to protect the stock,” Mr Anganuzzi said, adding that tuna fish was a highly migratory species and any measure to control its harvest should be done jointly with member countries.

The tuna’s plight is shared by many marine species being hunted by large, modern fishing fleets that use satellite tracking and sophisticated fishing gear.

There are 23 tuna species worldwide which are “fully fished” — meaning catches should not be increased — according to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

Four more are “over-exploited” or “depleted,” a FAO report said.

Despite the fact that regional fishery management organisations have imposed catch limits to try to preserve tuna and other species, global fisheries are in crisis, researchers say.

Some 80 per cent of commercial fish species are fully exploited, over-exploited, or collapsed, FAO says. Dr Otuoma said effective controlling of illegal fishing in Indian Ocean waters is very costly.

Regular inspection

“The use of port-state measures as a deterrent and elimination of illegal fishing should be encouraged,” the minister said.

A new treaty aimed at closing fishing ports to illegal fishing vessels was agreed upon by 91 countries this year.

The treaty, Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing, is the first ever global pact focused on illegal fishing.

The aim is to block illegally fished stocks from entering international markets — removing the incentive for fishermen to become involved in the activity.

The treaty requires vessels to seek permission from ports in advance and submit information on their activities and fish they have on board, giving the authorities time to spot a red flag in advance.

Countries are also required to have regular inspections.