Zanzibar pact signals new regional front in fight against illegal fishing
Stakeholders who joined beach cleaning in Dar es Salaam as part of the commemoration of International Coastal Cleanup Day pose for a photo. PHOTO | COURTESY
Dar es Salaam. Countries along the South West Indian Ocean have pledged closer cooperation to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUUF), marking what officials describe as a shift from fragmented technical discussions to a coordinated regional response.
The commitment was formalised last month in Zanzibar with the signing of the Resolutions and Recommendations Pact under the Jahazi Project, bringing together representatives from Mainland Tanzania, Zanzibar and Kenya, alongside participation from Mauritius, Mozambique, Comoros, Seychelles and Madagascar.
For decades, IUUF in the South West Indian Ocean was largely treated as a regulatory and enforcement matter, confined to fisheries management forums and surveillance reports.
Yet along East Africa’s 4,600-kilometre coastline, the consequences have been stark: declining fish stocks, shrinking incomes and growing pressure on more than three million people who depend directly on fisheries for their livelihoods.
Coastal fisheries in the region produce over 1.5 million metric tonnes of fish annually, forming a critical pillar of food security and economic stability.
That pillar, stakeholders warn, is under sustained threat. The region is estimated to lose about $415 million each year to illegal fishing.
Government-backed distant-water fleets have been accused of harvesting fish at unsustainable levels, depleting breeding stocks and discarding large volumes of unwanted catch along East African waters.
In Tanzania alone, losses linked to IUUF were estimated at roughly $142.8 million per year between 2015 and 2021, driven largely by illicit shrimp and tuna harvesting. The country ranks 82nd globally in exposure to IUUF, with a risk score of 2.81.
Kenya faces similar challenges, with illegal fishing estimated to account for between 30 and 40 per cent of total catch. Ranked 86th globally with a risk score of 2.22, the country is projected to see marine fish biomass decline by up to 40 per cent by 2050, threatening artisanal fishing communities.
In Zanzibar, where the blue economy employs around one-third of the population, the implications are significant. Across Tanzania, diminishing nearshore stocks have pushed about 75 per cent of fishers further offshore, increasing operational costs and exposing small-scale operators to greater risks at sea.
Island economies such as Mauritius and Seychelles, heavily reliant on tuna fisheries and marine exports, also face revenue losses due to underreporting and illegal harvesting.
In Mozambique, Madagascar and Comoros, where coastal fisheries underpin rural employment and nutrition, illegal extraction is deepening vulnerability in communities already exposed to climate-related shocks.
Dr Matthew Silas of Tanzania’s Deep Sea Fishing Authority pointed to improved surveillance tools, including vessel monitoring systems and satellite tracking, but noted that technological gains cannot compensate for fragmented legal and enforcement frameworks.
Stakeholders highlighted inconsistencies in vessel registration systems, varying penalties across jurisdictions and limited real-time intelligence sharing. Such gaps, they said, allow illegal operators to exploit maritime borders and uneven enforcement regimes.
Dr Baraka Sekadende of Tanzania’s Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries said IUUF should be viewed not only as a fisheries issue but as a broader human development challenge, affecting food security, household income and long-term economic prospects.
Against this backdrop, the Blue Voices Regional Summit in Zanzibar sought to elevate the issue to the political level. Co-hosted by the Government of Zanzibar, the meeting brought together government officials, legal experts, port authorities, researchers and civil society representatives to chart a unified response.
Maritime sovereignty emerged as a central theme. Captain Hamad Bakar Hamad, Principal Secretary in Zanzibar’s Ministry of Blue Economy and Fisheries, said illegal fishing does not respect national borders and requires coordinated regional action.
Leonard Bett Cheruiyoti from Kenya’s Office of the Attorney General emphasised the need for harmonised penalties, warning that disparities between jurisdictions create safe havens for offenders.
The signing of the pact commits participating countries to strengthen regulatory harmonisation, improve intelligence sharing, align enforcement mechanisms and close jurisdictional loopholes.
