Project ALIOS

Timeframe: March 2024 to February 2025 (12 months).

Donor: European Union (DG MARE)

Project Alios is a law enforcement project aimed at strengthening INTERPOL member countries’ ability to tackle Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing and related incidents.

Phase 1 was implemented between September 2022 and February 2024 with support from the European Union (Directorate General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries).

Phase 2 aims to further enhance cooperation among participating countries with a special focus on developing countries and countries of interest to the European Union in the fight against IUU fishing.

Objectives:

The project aims to achieve the following:
•    Strengthen the capacity of our member countries to gather information and develop criminal intelligence analysis to address fisheries incidents.
•    Improve multiagency cooperation to enhance the capabilities at national level to identify and prosecute fisheries cases.
•    Promote international cooperation in the fight against IUU fishing.

Project activities

The project is tailored to the needs of national authorities, centering around operational, analytical and investigative support, and building capabilities of the investigative bodies in beneficiary countries.

The main activities include:

•    Regional capacity building workshop on high-risk fishing vessels
A regional capacity building workshop will be organized for the Western Indian Ocean region  to support law enforcement authorities to identify high-risk fishing vessels and IUU fishing-related incidents.

•    Operational Support Team (OST) Deployment

OSTs comprise INTERPOL officials with specialized forensic, analytical, investigative skills and subject matter expertise. They can be deployed to the field upon a request from national authorities to support transnational investigations.

•    Regional Investigative and Analytical Case meetings (RIACM)

RIACMs will bring together representatives from national authorities in different countries to discuss fisheries cases of interest, share and analyse information and identify priority targets for joint investigations and law enforcement action.

•    Analytical products

Analytical products will be disseminated to national authorities including cross checks and case analysis reports with regards to specific fisheries incidents or ongoing criminal investigations involving fisheries stakeholders.

Alios Phase I

Donor: European Union (DG MARE)

Timeframe: 2022 - 2023

The situation

Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing remains one of the greatest threats to marine ecosystems, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Such activity can seriously undermine national and regional efforts to manage fisheries sustainably as well as endeavors to conserve marine biodiversity.

IUU fishing occurs in high seas, exclusive, economic zone (EEZ) and within territorial waters. The exploitation of this sector affects the development, peace and security of countries across the globe. International law enforcement cooperation is vital given the transnational nature of these violations.

Since 2014, INTERPOL has provided investigative and operational support to national authorities in all 196 member countries. Such support has helped law enforcement officers identify transnational criminal syndicates and tackle fisheries offences, including IUU fishing. INTERPOL has also helped member countries build capacity and resources for effective monitoring, control, and surveillance (MCS).

Project aims

Project ALIOS facilitated international cooperation towards sustainable ocean management, focusing on the three following objectives:

• Promoting international cooperation in the fight against IUU fishing;
• Strengthening the ability of INTERPOL member countries to address IUU fishing, management of fisheries resources and crimes occurring in the fisheries sector;
• Strengthening cooperation between INTERPOL and the European Commission Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE).

Project activities

Under this project, INTERPOL carried out a range of activities such as:

• Providing investigative and analytical support to law enforcement agencies. This includes drafting and disseminating criminal intelligence analysis reports;   
• National-level operational investigative support, with the deployment of INTERPOL officers in country upon request;
• Organizing Regional Investigative and Analytical Case Meetings (RIACMs);
• Capacity building on enforcement against IUU fishing, including the use of shipborne information in support of  investigations.

Project ALIOS was funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or CINEA Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.