Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing is increasingly discussed in international fora and receives increasing attention in the context of fisheries crime and maritime security. However, little is known about real cases of illegal fishing and how resource-poor countries can effectively take action against illegal operators that often work in highly flexible, well-financed networks. FISH-i Africa offers examples of concrete cases of IUU fishing, which can inform about current trends and can shed light on often vague discussions about illegal fishing. FISH-i has also nurtured political champions to elevate the issue in the global arena and to push for policy and regulations that serve the needs of Africa and the developed world. Creating an opportunity for Task Force members to speak for themselves in international meetings has built confidence amongst Task Force members who are now better able to promote actions against IUU fishing both domestically and internationally. In negotiation processes, such as the FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI), for FISH-i member states to join together as part of an African Group results in increased influence on the agreements made, making them more relevant to the continent’s IUU issues.

The FISH-i Africa Task Force has routine mechanisms to share information on their flagged and licensed fishing vessels and those active in their fishing zones and ports. They cooperate towards shared objectives, which are to take action against those identified as illegal fishing operators. FISH-i Africa uses an easy-to-use and secured web-based interactive communication platform through which relevant information can be shared in near real-time. This information includes satellite tracking data, vessel information on identity, flags, ownership, fishing activities, networks and trade routes, as well as systematic research on illegal fishing activities. Members can post requests and discuss operational, legal or strategic questions. Dedicated face-to-face meetings at least twice a year enable further discussions, analysis, strategy building and planning, whilst building relationships and trust. At country level further information-sharing and cooperation is needed to turn information and evidence into action. FISH-i Africa supports interagency cooperation between fisheries, port, customs, transport, police, health and other authorities to take effective enforcement action.

The challenge of sustainable governance of marine and coastal resources and territories has recently emerged in Mauritania. Definitely there is still a lack of understanding about what is at stake (environmental, social and economic levels). Therefore our programme invests in awareness raising among challenged stakeholders like the civil servants, fishermen, coastal communities, local NGOs… through: (i) production and up keeping of communication tools (flyers, film, posters, websites, social networks, newsletter), (ii) training courses, conferences…

Implementing a marine spatial planning without knowing territories and resources is meaningless. Major breakthroughs in Mauritanian marine environment knowledge have been made recently that confirm scientific research is highly necessary to set a course towards clean and rich seas. Therefore several tools are necessary to adjust policies to the local context (sea uses regulations, norms and standards…). This is the reason why the programme BOG has supported national stakeholders to consolidate existing knowledge and design research programs to map vulnerable zones. As a result a Maritime Atlas of Vulnerable Sea Areas in Mauritania has been issued in French, Arabic and English. The program also initiated a set of ship-based surveys to assess seabirds and marine mammals off Mauritanian coasts: a key factor to understand and, thus, protect, marine biodiversity. In addition, a monitoring and early warning system for micro-contaminants has been designed and is now operating under the supervision of a coordination of 6 national institutions. Sediments, fish, bivalves, crabs, water are sampled and chemical as well as bioassays and biomarkers analyses were made in order to establish baseline levels of micro-contaminants.