“Stop Illegal Fishing” in African seas reports on its achievements

The organisation “Stop Illegal Fishing” which seeks to protect African seas from illegal fishing reports on its website: Stop Illegal Fishing is committed to ending the devastating impacts of illegal fishing across all African fisheries. It is only through the eradication of illegal fishing that African nations and their people will enjoy the full benefits of stable and increased revenues from their fishery resources.

Stop Illegal Fishing was launched in mid-2007 and has since become a core component of the Partnership for African Fisheries. Dedicated to working in partnership with governments, civil society, NGOs, intergovernmental organizations and the fishing industry Stop Illegal Fishing is harnessing the necessary international support and growing African commitment to support positive change.

Through a mix of campaigning, education and empowerment, as well as on the ground implementation and support for ongoing and new initiatives, Stop Illegal Fishing is proud to be part of the new found global effort to stop illegal fishing.

As was always the hope, and in accordance with its mandate, Stop Illegal Fishing (SIF) has now gained sufficient momentum to becoming a not-for-profit organisation. This move builds on the successes of the SIF working group — offering new opportunities for expanding its work — while maintaining its long-term role as a working group of the NEPAD Planning and Co-ordination Agency (New Partnership for African Development).

SIF is the second working group of NEPAD to follow this path, and the first step was to hold a meeting on the 4th February 2013 to prepare an application to the Government of Botswana — as per the law in Botswana — to become a not-for-profit legal entity. SIF will be registered in Botswana as this is the location of the office of the SIF coordination team.

The proposed purpose for SIF is: “To strengthen co-operation and co-ordination between governments and partners in order to support the African Union’s and NEPAD [New Partnership for African Development] Planning and Co-ordination Agency’s agendas and other pan-African and international processes to stop illegal fishing in African waters.”

The objectives of the new entity are very much in line with the previous objectives but slightly adjusted to reflect the current strengths of SIF:

  • Provide evidence based advice to feed into policy reform and improved decision-making to fight illegal fishing in African waters;
  • Co-ordinate an African Voice to influence international fishery policy processes;
  • Facilitate communications to create awareness and advocacy for compliant fisheries;
  • Build practical and effective co-operation tools, mechanisms and processes to curb illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing; and
  • Grow and support a network of professionals, experts and champions to lead the African campaign against illegal fishing.

 
To view recent examples of the work of SIF (Stop Illegal Fishing), visit www.stopillegalfishing.com/sifnews_article.php?ID=185
 
Source: “Stop Illegal Fishing” website. For full details, see www.stopillegalfishing.com/sif.php


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