Local stakeholder contributions were often chaotic; information provided often unsubstantiated or contradictory, in attempts to protect personal interests. In situ investigations by experts are essential.

Expertise often cannot be found locally. International expert organisations such as IUCN can supply useful advice.

• In more urban areas with large concentrations of fishing vessels, it was easier for district officers to license vessels and achieve higher numbers / revenues. Where there were numerous landing sites spread out over a large area, the effort became more costly and time intensive.
• BMUs have been co-opted in some districts to undertake the licensing and registration based on a cost recovery basis, however, these are still developing concepts for Tanzania and beyond the current scope of this solution.
• District authorities collected improved revenues in most districts compared to the previous registration period (between 20 and 600% increase, see project report for detail) as boat owners licensed and registered IUU fishing vessels, and fishers registered themselves to took out licenses to fish.
• Financial resources from licensing revenues to the local fisheries organisations have increased on a year by year basis as an initial result of the pilot project.

• Robust tools are required to operate in sometimes harsh oceanic conditions. This holds especially for electrical equipment.
• Local BMUs know the timing and whereabouts of (legal and illegal) boats. It is therefore essential to obtain their cooperation and support.
• Tags cannot be copied easily, minimizing unauthorized or illegal tagging / delinquent vessels.

• Local governments are willing to invest / spend funds if there is a return on their investment.
• Local communities, for the most part, are willing to assist in the implementation of compliance activities, if it will improve the fish stocks and/or reduce illegal fishing that impacts on them.
• If chances of effective enforcement / penalties are small, fishers tend to be delinquent and will not comply with the set laws and conditions.
• Governance and management improve as the actual numbers of fishing vessels and fishermen are known per district.
• Improved compliance with licensing and registration provisions of fisheries regulations, up to 110 % in one district, lead to a decrease in the number of delinquent fishing vessels and fishers.
• Improvement in registration and licensing resulted in reduction in the number of IUU fishing vessels and fishers as vessels and fishers were now in compliance with regulations.