Related expert: Rising pressures on Africa’s fisheries and marine resources
Fisheries play a crucial role in Africa, particularly for coastal populations whose livelihoods and food security depend on fish.
Directly contributing $24 billion to the African economy each year, fisheries and aquaculture employ some 12 million people across the continent. At the same time, demand for fish keeps increasing and continued population growth means further pressure on marine resources through 2050.
- Pressure from fishing operations – sustained activity by foreign vessels in African waters may further decrease the region’s fish stocks and limit local access to marine resources on the continent.
- Climate change – the rise and fall of temperatures is expected to decrease the potential fisheries catch within Africa’s exclusive economic zones.
- Dwindling fish stocks – multiple studies show that by 2050 the effects of climate change will decrease the maximum catch potential in marine fisheries by 30 percent or more in many tropical West African countries.
Tackling illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in African waters
Effective management is an important tool in addressing Africa’s fisheries challenges. Limited monitoring and enforcement capacity in many of the continent’s countries has allowed illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing to thrive — accounting for an estimated 40 percent of total catch in the region. Generating significant economic losses, IUU fishing accelerates the depletion of marine ecosystems and undermines sustainability efforts. At the same time, small-scale fisheries, which sustain coastal communities and support biodiversity, often lack the tools and visibility they need to protect their resources.
By providing open data and supporting transparency initiatives, Global FIshing Watch helps African governments enhance their vessel monitoring capabilities, strengthen management efforts to protect marine biodiversity, and bolster collaborations with small-scale fishing associations to amplify their role in the decision-making process.
“IUU fishing poses a serious threat across Africa’s coastal waters, undermining both marine ecosystems and national economies. Our work aims to support governments by providing free, open-access data and satellite technology that enable authorities to monitor their waters more effectively and crack down on illicit activity.”
– Dame Mboup, Africa program manager at Global Fishing Watch
In 2024, Global Fishing Watch found high densities of vessel activity off the northern and western coasts of Africa, where public tracking systems had shown little to no activity before. This research cast a light on areas that were previously ‘hidden’ from public view and gave local decision-makers the information they required to direct more of their resources where they were – and are – most needed.
Transparency in Africa’s fisheries
Transparency and open data arm decision-makers with vital information as they navigate the management of waters off their coastlines. There is a growing need to protect small-scale, or artisanal fisheries, which are critical to the food security and livelihoods of millions of people but often suffer the consequences of overfishing by industrial vessels.
Small-scale fisheries face mounting challenges — from weak regulation and lack of investment to growing pressure on marine ecosystems. While the Food and Agriculture Organization of the U.N. and its Member States have taken steps to address the issue, more needs to be done to ensure policies reflect the realities and needs of coastal fishing communities across the continent.
Artisanal fishing communities also contend with threats from industrial fleets, whose large vessels can destroy gear, degrade fishing grounds and endanger lives through collisions and other at-sea incidents.
Partnerships across the region
Global Fishing Watch collaborates with governments and nongovernmental organizations to promote transparency for fisheries across Africa. As technology and transparency redefine what’s possible, we are helping governments gain unprecedented visibility into their waters — strengthening partnerships and using innovative tools to transform monitoring, surveillance and enforcement in the fight against IUU fishing.
Through analyses and fisheries intelligence reports, we are enhancing existing monitoring and surveillance efforts and enabling enforcement authorities to achieve greater maritime domain awareness.
Our research partnerships and capacity development initiatives are also facilitating discussions that help demonstrate how a culture of sharing and using open data could address some of the most pertinent needs when it comes to improving monitoring and control across Africa’s rich fishing grounds.
Partnerships to combat IUU fishing
We work closely with authorities in the Gulf of Guinea to support at-sea patrols and enhance maritime domain awareness. Through our collaboration with partners in the Joint Analytical Cell, we provide satellite-informed intelligence that helps target high-risk fishing activity and strengthen operational response. From 2021 to 2023 — to support the implementation of the Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA) — we piloted a program in Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya and Senegal aimed at improving port inspections and curbing IUU fishing through technical assistance and capacity building. Carried out with our partners, TMT, the program also resulted in the co-development of Vessel Viewer, a history and insights tool designed to strengthen risk assessments and bolster due diligence.
Regional collaborations
We work in close collaboration with sub-regional fisheries organizations to amplify impact across West and Central Africa. These partnerships, which included the Subregional Fisheries Commission , Fisheries Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea , and the Gulf of Guinea Regional Fisheries Commission, represent 24 countries across Africa, extend our reach in the region and help support a broader, more coordinated approach to sustainable fisheries governance. Through these partnerships, we aim to strengthen regional monitoring, control, and surveillance systems and facilitate data-driven decision-making in the region. These engagements help foster long-term resilience of marine ecosystems while supporting the livelihoods and food security of coastal communities.
Capacity development
Two-way knowledge-sharing is central to our country-level work, which harnesses the power of technology and open data to help governments across Africa monitor and manage their waters. We deliver participatory training that equips governments to use our tools to achieve their goals — from more effectively monitoring their waters and reducing IUU fishing to protecting biodiversity and helping secure the rights of small-scale fishers.
In July 2025, building off work with Kenya and Madagascar to strengthen their implementation of the Port State Measures Agreement, we launched a new set of training modules on monitoring, control, and surveillance for fisheries professionals in Africa — working directly with Senegal’s Directorate of Fisheries Protection and Surveillance, Madagascar’s Ministry of Fisheries and Blue Economy, and Gabon’s General Directorate of Fisheries and Aquaculture. Using real-life case studies, we illustrated how data, science and technology can support operational teams — both at sea and on the ground — to strengthen fisheries management and monitoring.
