Estimated to be about 10 to 15 percent of the region's total catch, illegal and unreported fishing disrupts the tuna trade, worth tens of millions of dollars every year.
Navies in the region, often consisting of just one or two patrol vessels, struggle to intercept the hundreds of small boats, mainly from Taiwan and Indonesia, which spread out across the enormous ocean to catch the precious tuna.
"The main problem with IUU (illegal, unregulated, and unreported) fishing in terms of tuna stocks is ... the fact that we simply don't know how much fish is being taken," said David Ardill, from the inter-governmental Indian Ocean Commission.
"It seems to be a steadily increasing problem in this part of the ocean," Ardill told Reuters, referring to the south west Indian Ocean, the waters around Mauritius, Comoros, Madagascar, Seychelles, and Reunion, countries which make up the commission.
Small-scale fishing accounts for about half the tuna caught in the ocean, the second largest fishery after the Pacific.
Port inspections will play an increasingly major role in the crackdown, with authorities checking boats, documents and even cargoes, said Ardill, who manages a pilot project to monitor tuna fisheries.
Some 800 vessels were inspected last year in Mauritius' Port Louis, he said, adding that European moves to ensure the traceability of fish products back to approved and legal sources will make illegal fishing even harder.
Authorities in the region are also looking into the use of radar, and satellite pictures from the European Space agency, to check for unregistered fishing boats.
Enforcement is likely to remain problematic, with tiny navies covering enormous areas. But in the past year, French and Mauritian boats have caught illegal boats in Seychellois and Mauritian waters, he said.
"Essentially, the management advice is to limit fishing at current levels or to bring it back to (the levels of) 2 or 3 years back," Ardill said.
Indonesia, Iran, France, Spain, and Maldives catch the most tuna, but Taiwan catches by far the highest value, he said.
Albacore, yellowfin, and bigeye tuna are being fished to the maximum sustainable limit, officials say, but Ardill said tuna stocks may benefit from rising fuel prices.
"I understand that Taiwan has taken something like 130 vessels out of the Indian Ocean, and Japan has done more or less the same sort of thing," Ardill said.
Source: Reuters
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