SIF Investigative Unit

Stop Illegal Fishing have been running investigations into illegal fishing and fisheries crimes since its foundation in 2007. We have created a team of fisheries specialists with legal, analytical and technical expertise. This team has been formalized in 2016 to become the Stop Illegal Fishing Investigative Unit with operational head quarters in Botswana.

Stop Illegal Fishing are able to provide real time advice to enforcement officers dealing with suspicious vessels or companies. Knowing what to look for, what information to request and how to deal with and analyse evidence can be challenging for MCS officers who encounter these situations infrequently.

Stop Illegal Fishing undertake undercover operations to get to the truth about activity in the fisheries sector, our recent work has included detailing the extent of the shark fin trade in Kenya and Somalia and establishing the links between criminal gangs in Africa and China.

The strength of our network internationally with government authorities and international organisations such as INTERPOL and UNODC enable Stop Illegal Fishing to contribute to catching illegal fishers and making sure that penalties and convictions are secured.

Recent Posts

Madagascar. One step forward towards national interagency cooperation to fight IUU fishing.

Six years after depositing its instrument of accession to the Port State Measure...

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Namibia is working to combat IUU fishing

Two months after hosting the inception meeting of the Southern African Development Community’s...

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Fortieth Meeting of the SADC Technical Committee on Fisheries

The 40th meeting of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), Technical Committee on...

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Nigeria: “Interagency cooperation is vital to increase compliance and stop fight IUU fishing”

Representatives from agencies involved in monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) of fisheries activities...

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SIF News Categories

What impact are we having?

The Issues

One in four fish in Africa is caught illegally, this threatens the sustainability of fish stocks, damages the ecosystem and deprives governments of income and people of livelihoods.

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Our Approach

Creating change by informing policy and practice, our hands on experience and investigative work means we are often the first to spot new trends and find ways to challenge these.

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Our Initiatives

Illegal fishing is a complex issue that requires multifaceted responses. Stop Illegal Fishing are working with a range of organisations to bring about change.

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