- West Africa expands efforts against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing
- Regional patrols intercepted vessels violating licences, quotas and tracking rules
- Dakar Declaration boosts cooperation, surveillance and community participation
Anti-IUU fishing initiatives multiplied across West Africa in the first half of 2026, with civil society mobilisation, maritime surveillance operations and stronger regional cooperation marking a concerted effort to build a more coordinated response to the scale of losses in the sector.
On the occasion of the International Day for the Fight Against IUU Fishing, observed on Friday, June 5, here is a review of the main developments recorded over the first six months of the year.
The Dakar Declaration gives fresh momentum to anti-IUU efforts
The year began with the adoption of the Dakar Declaration against IUU fishing on February 13, led by seafarers’ unions, fishing organisations and civil society actors. The declaration is not an inter-state framework but an advocacy and coordination initiative driven primarily by the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) and several partner organisations.
It calls for stronger regional cooperation through intelligence sharing, harmonisation of control mechanisms and the effective application of international instruments, in particular the Agreement on Port State Measures (PSMA) and the ILO Work in Fishing Convention (C188).
Beyond technical matters, the declaration places greater emphasis on social issues, stressing the need to integrate artisanal fishing communities into sector governance — an area often dominated by industrial actors and exposed to illegal activity.
Signatories include the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), the Maritime Dockworkers Union of Ghana (MDU), the Union démocratique des travailleurs du Sénégal (UDTS), the Syndicat des marins pêcheurs de Côte d’Ivoire (SYMAPECHI) and the NGO Greenpeace Africa.
Strengthening joint maritime surveillance operations
Following that initiative, the Sub-Regional Fisheries Commission (SRFC) coordinated Operation Espadon, supported by the European Union through the Agir-Inn project. Conducted from February 9 to 22, 2026, the operation mobilised the naval forces of Senegal, Mauritania, The Gambia and Cape Verde.
The joint mission led to the boarding of eight industrial fishing vessels suspected of illegal activity, using a strategy combining satellite monitoring and information sharing between states, with the support of European technical partners. The intercepted vessels were found committing a range of violations, from operating without a licence and failing to emit tracking signals to using non-compliant nets and exceeding fishing quotas.
Beyond the immediate results, the operation highlighted a shift in the regional approach, with authorities gradually moving from conventional patrols to systems based on maritime intelligence and data analysis.
A first joint regional patrol in the Gulf of Guinea
More recently, the Fishery Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea (FCWC) organised the first joint regional fisheries surveillance patrol across the exclusive economic zones of Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire and Liberia from April 6 to 12, 2026.
Conducted in partnership with the European Fisheries Control Agency and the West Africa Sustainable Ocean Programme (WASOP), the operation aimed to strengthen cooperation between national monitoring centres and improve coordination of naval, aerial and electronic assets.
A total of 89 vessels were recorded during the patrol, including industrial ships, trawlers and artisanal craft. Four vessels were intercepted for violations and transferred to the relevant national authorities. The operation demonstrated improved maritime domain awareness and greater reliance on shared surveillance tools, including satellite and vessel tracking systems.
Towards a regional architecture to combat IUU fishing
Taken together, these initiatives -whether coordinated with one another or not- reflect the gradual emergence of a regional architecture to combat IUU fishing in West Africa. They point to a broader regional response in a region where IUU fishing is no longer seen solely as a maritime enforcement problem, but as an economic, social and food security challenge.
That architecture nonetheless remains fragmented and heavily dependent on one-off initiatives and external funding, raising questions about its long-term sustainability.
Stéphanas Assocle
