The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) recently held its fourth Maritime Stakeholders Meeting on Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. The meeting took place from March 18 to 20, 2025, with the aim of developing a regional cooperation framework to combat IUU fishing and address environmental issues in the ECOWAS maritime sector. Attendees included representatives from ECOWAS Member States and Commission, as well as regional organizations involved in maritime and fisheries sectors.
The three-day event resulted in several recommendations. ECOWAS was encouraged to foster collaboration between technical directorates and marine research institutes to enhance scientific and technological capabilities for improving data quality in West Africa. Additionally, ECOWAS should pursue a regional approach when negotiating fisheries agreements and implement a tripartite memorandum of understanding with the Fisheries Committee of the West Central Gulf of Guinea (FCPC) and the Sub-Regional Fisheries Commission (SRFC), which could lead to amendments addressing security aspects.
Member States were advised to ensure inter-institutional coordination against IUU fishing, designate a lead institution for managing the blue economy, and pool resources for combating IUU fishing. Recommendations also included improving licensing procedures, monitoring coastlines effectively, establishing annual closed seasons for fishing, and providing alternative livelihoods for communities affected by offshore oil activities.
Presentations at the meeting highlighted that IUU fishing encompasses violations such as illegal transshipments; non-compliance with gear regulations; unauthorized discards; and capturing protected species. Strengthening national and regional authorities responsible for monitoring control is crucial to addressing these issues. Furthermore, implementing agreements that prevent landing fish from illegal sources is necessary alongside developing political will among Member States to enhance legal frameworks.
Working groups were formed during the meeting to focus on governance; missions of national/regional surveillance centers; information exchange mechanisms; financing; international cooperation; and resource mobilization.
Participants concluded their discussions with a visit to the Regional Maritime Security Centre for West Africa (CRESMAO). They commended Côte d’Ivoire's government for hosting CRESMAO's headquarters and providing local staff support.
The meeting saw participation from various entities including CRESMAO itself, Multinational Coordination Centres Zones E-F-G Maritime (CMCM), United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Food Agriculture Organization of United Nations (FAO), European Union Delegation Fisheries Committee West Central Gulf Guinea CPCO Sub-Regional Fisheries Commission CSRP Gulf Guinea Interregional Network GOGIN Maritime Organization West Central Africa OMAOC.
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