“But although the Indian Ocean is bordered by Africa, Asia and Australia, the single biggest harvester of yellowfin in the area is the European Union. EU nations – principally Spain and France – operate a “distant water fleet” of 43 vessels that fish the seas thousands of miles from home. In 2019 they caught 70,000 tonnes of yellowfin, more than Indian Ocean coastal states such as Iran (58,000 tonnes), Sri Lanka and the Maldives (44,000 tonnes each).”

  • Mwalimu
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    23 years ago

    “Kenya, the Maldives and like-minded coastal nations only fish in the Indian Ocean, so if the stocks get depleted we are the ones who suffer,” said Stephen Ndegwa, assistant director of fisheries at Kenya’s agriculture ministry. “We will have nothing for future generations.

    “The foreign fishing vessels, like the EU vessels, will move to other oceans, but we won’t be able to move – and we will be stuck with no fish.”