The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing Task Force (IUU Task Force) held its ninth meeting in Vilankulo, Mozambique on the 17 November 2021. The meeting was a hybrid, held as a side session to the Growing Blue Conference, allowing some participants to be present in person while others participated virtually.

Participants included SADC Member States, the SADC Secretariat, the SADC Monitoring Control and Surveillance Coordination Centre Interim Project Management Unit (MCSCC IPMU) and partner organisations including the South-West Indian Ocean Fisheries Commission, the E€OFISH programme, WWF, and Stop Illegal Fishing.

During the meeting, participants provided updates on the fisheries MCS work in the region in the fight against IUU fishing. This included regional activities and developments such as the work of the SADC MCSCC IPMU, and national level activities undertaken by Member States. Awareness of completed, ongoing and upcoming activities allows for efficient use of resources by avoiding repetition of efforts and allows for possible cooperation.

A draft information and data sharing protocol was also presented and considered at the meeting. This document, once finalised and in force, will guide a key component of the fight against IUU fishing in SADC – communication between States. Sharing information and data is a tried and tested tool in developing countries which is both effective and efficient in the fight against IUU fishing. The absorption of the FISH-i Africa communications platform into the SADC MCSCC is recognition of this fact.