Illegal Fishing Campaigns
Sea Shepherd's Current Partnerships
Sea Shepherd provides crewed, civilian patrol vessels -- the M/V Ocean Warrior, the M/V Bob Barker, and the M/V Age of Union -- to help local authorities and regional partners combat illegal fishing in African waters.
Liberia
Operation Sola Stella
In February 2017, Sea Shepherd Global launched a campaign in partnership with the Liberian Ministry of National Defense to fight illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing in the West African coastal waters of Liberia. The campaign has been named Operation Sola Stella, which is Latin for ‘Lone Star’, the motto for the Republic of Liberia.
The Gambia
Operation Gambian Coastal Defense
In August 2019 Sea Shepherd launched our partnership with The Gambia, the seventh African coastal State to join a growing effort to stop illegal fishing around the African continent through joint at-sea patrols. The waters of The Gambia are particularly rich in biodiversity, and over 200,000 Gambians depend on local fisheries for their livlihood. Sea Shepherd teamed up with the Ministry of Fisheries and Water Resources and The Gambia Navy to patrol the nine-nautical mile Special Management Area to conserve waters dedicated to artisanal fishing, and stop the routine incursions by industrial trawlers and poachers causing the decline in local fish populations.
Sierra Leone
Operation Sierra Leone Coastal Defense
In early 2021, Sea Shepherd launched a new partnership with Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Defense and National Security, working together with the Sierra Leone Navy for at-sea patrols to combat illegal fishing. Operation Sierra Leone Coastal Defense, Sea Shepherd’s eighth government partnership on the continent of Africa, launched with the arrest of five trawlers in just two days.
Benin
Operation Guegou
In May 2019 Sea Shepherd joined forces with the government of Benin to tackle illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing in the Gulf of Guinea. Sea Shepherd crew and the local non-governmental organization (NGO) Eco-Benin worked together with law enforcement agents representing the State Action on the Sea, the Navy of Benin and the Ministry of Fisheries on board the Sea Shepherd vessel Bob Barker on an inaugural 20-day patrol to stop poaching activity in the waters of Benin.
Namibia
Operation Vanguard
Beginning April 2019, Sea Shepherd launched a partnership with the Namibian Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources (MFMR) compliance officials to carry out joint surveillance activities in Namibia`s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) onboard the Ocean Warrior, to tackle Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing in Namibian waters. These initiatives assisted the MFMR and other Namibian law enforcement agencies to force illegal and foreign industrial factory trawlers out of the Namibian EEZ suspected to have targeted horse mackerel stocks through IUU activities.
Tanzania
Operation Jodari
Launched in early 2018, Operation Jodari is a campaign in partnership with the government of the United Republic of Tanzania to tackle illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing in the Western Indian Ocean region. Sea Shepherd crew on board the Ocean Warrior are working with law enforcement agents from the Deep Sea Fishing Authority, Tanzanian Navy and the Multi-Agency Task Team (MATT), with support from Fish-i Africa, a partnership of eight East African countries including Comoros, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles and Somalia that fosters information-sharing and regional cooperation to combat large-scale illegal fishing.