Promoting international law enforcement cooperation towards sustainable fisheries management.
Phase II Timeframe: 2024 - 2025
Budget: EUR 375,000
Donor: European Commission - Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries
Geographical scope: Global
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 zones (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 our 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.
Project aim
Project ALIOS aims to facilitate international law enforcement cooperation towards sustainable fisheries 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 carries 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.
Recent Project Highlights
- Regional Capacity building activity on IUU Fishing in the Western Indian Ocean (Port Louis, Mauritius, 20-23 May 2025)
Participating countries: Comoros, Seychelles, Madagascar, Mauritius
INTERPOL Environmental Security Sub-Directorate organized a capacity building activity on IUU Fishing in the Western Indian Ocean from 20 to 23 May in Port Louis, Mauritius. This activity was funded under Project ALIOS II.
The training, which had a regional focus on Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, and Seychelles, was a collaborative effort to address the challenges of IUU fishing including Long distance water fishing fleets (LDWFF). The eighteen (18) participants from the four participating countries represented a diverse range of agencies such as INTERPOL National Central Bureaus (NCBs), Police, Maritime Enforcement units, Fisheries agencies and the judiciary.
The meeting focused on addressing investigations on high-risk vessels operating in the Western Indian Ocean, enhancing LEAs capabilities to detect, monitor and neutralize the IUU-F threats deceiving techniques as well as evidence collection and digital forensics. During the training, best practices and cooperation results in the domain of IUU-F or their experience dealing with others environmental crimes, diverse support documentation (written, audio/video) were shared to promote national and international coordination amongst LEAs.
- INTERPOL Guidelines for Frontline Officers: Inspections for IUU Fishing (February 2025)
The booklet “INTERPOL Guidelines for Frontline Officers: Inspections for IUU Fishing” provides frontline officers with steps and recommendations for conducting effective vessel inspections to combat IUU fishing. It contains practical, actionable guidance in compliance with INTERPOL standards.
Elaborated within the framework of the Project ALIOS, the document is available in three languages (English, French and Portuguese).
This document is restricted to law enforcement only. It can be requested to INTERPOL via the corresponding National Central Bureau (NCB).
- Regional Investigative and Analytical Case Meeting (RIACM) France, Suriname, Guyana, and Brazil (Lyon, France – 25-26 June 2024).
A two-day regional meeting, RIACM, brought together 17 participants from Brazil, France, Suriname, and Guyana to discuss the critical issue of Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing (IUU-F) in French Guiana. The meeting, facilitated by INTERPOL's Environmental Security (ENS) unit, aimed to foster international cooperation and address the challenges faced by each country in combating IUU-F.
The meeting was successful in bringing countries together to discuss this important and challenging issue, and participants gained a deeper understanding of each country's agencies, mandates, and challenges, laying the groundwork for future collaboration. The meeting also identified opportunities for joint law enforcement operations to combat IUU-F in the region. Countries were encouraged to share additional data with INTERPOL for further analysis, which will help identify patterns, trends, and key players involved in IUU-F activities. The Intelligence Collection Plan shared by ENS will help countries address identified intelligence gaps and strengthen their capabilities to combat IUU-F.
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