Mauritius – New regulations to combat Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing

Government has agreed to the promulgation of the Fisheries (Electronic Reporting Systems) (Amendment) Regulations 2026 which will improve the operational effectiveness of the Electronic Reporting System in place and the quality of fisheries data and catch reporting. The Regulations will strengthen compliance of licensed fishing vessels with regard to fishing and fishing-related activities, and thus support the sustainable management of the fisheries resources of Mauritius. The Regulations will also deter and eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated fishing in our national waters and the Indian Ocean region.

Amendments being brought to the existing Regulations will:

· require the operator of a licensed fishing vessel to have the Electronic Reporting System unit repaired, at a port to be approved by the Ministry of Agro-Industry, Food Security, Blue Economy and Fisheries, within a period of 30 days as from the date that any irregularity or malfunctioning is detected. Furthermore, the operator will not be allowed to start or pursue any fishing trip until the unit is replaced or repaired, and thereafter verified by the Ministry. These will help to reduce the risks of operators tampering with or misusing the unit, and improve data integrity and recording;

· allow a licensed fishing vessel to continue a fishing trip where the Electronic Reporting System unit becomes inoperative, provided that the Fisheries Monitoring Centre is notified, manual logbooks are kept and daily fishing data is transmitted by email to the Ministry until the repair or replacement of the Unit. This contingency provision will ensure the continuity of reporting by fishing vessels;

· remove provisions regarding penalties for offences to ensure consistency with the Fisheries Act which provide more stringent penalties, including higher fines and longer terms of imprisonment; and

· authorise the use of the same equipment to transmit both Electronic Reporting System and Vessel Monitoring System positional data, with a view to bringing greater technological flexibility while maintaining the required reporting and monitoring obligations.

Source : GIS Mauritius