Madagascar’s latest fisheries report marks a significant milestone in advancing transparency within the fishing industry

The recently published fisheries report, set to be updated annually, reveals critical fisheries information and data that had never been made public before. This includes key details on fisheries laws and regulations for industrial fishing vessels, as well as revenue generated from industrial fishing activities. The report also commends the Madagascar government for its progressive reforms, such as freezing the industrial fishing fleet size and implementing new regulations for the sector.

The Fisheries Transparency Initiative (FiTI) is a global effort aimed at promoting transparency and public participation in the management of marine fisheries. By joining FiTI, countries commit to 12 steps that enhance transparency, including publishing regular reports on the state of their fisheries and providing details on license agreements with distant-water industrial fleets and the revenue generated from them. Madagascar officially joined FiTI on December 6, 2022, becoming the third African country to do so, following Mauritania and Seychelles.

Significant reforms in Madagascar's fisheries sector, led by the Ministry of Fisheries and the Blue Economy, have already transformed the industry. For the first time, civil society groups such as Blue Ventures, the World Wide Fund for Nature, and Transparency International-Madagascar were invited to participate in negotiations over new license agreements with foreign fleets, including those from the European Union. These negotiations, which had historically been contentious, resulted in notable gains in 2022, including improved sustainability, better fees for Madagascar, and enhanced support for the domestic small-scale fisheries sector. The revenues from these agreements have already been used to distribute safety equipment and improved fishing gear to thousands of small-scale fishers across the country.