New agreement governing fishing in Indian Ocean

Following two days of talks at the Food and Agriculture Organisation’s (FAO) Rome headquarters last week, six countries (Comoros, France, Kenya, Mozambique, New Zealand and Seychelles) and the European Community have signed a multilateral agreement on the management of fishing in a vast area of the high seas in the South Indian Ocean.

The South Indian Ocean Fisheries Agreement (SIOFA) is aimed at ensuring the long-term conservation and sustainable use of fishery resources other than tuna in areas that fall outside national jurisdictions.