The Indian Ocean is home to some of the most biodiverse marine ecosystems in the world, and is overexploited for its wide variety of seafood stocks. Industrial fishing is rife in this region, and has an enormous impact on ocean health, with high levels of bycatch of vulnerable species such as seabirds, cetaceans, sharks and rays. Many of these bycatch species are already classed as endangered or vulnerable, and the reduction in their populations is damaging the structures of marine ecosystems. If unsustainable fishing practices continue, biodiversity loss will reach irreversible levels, and the Coastal States and their communities will lose their livelihoods.
Developing Coastal States worldwide have struggled to make progress towards SDG 14. This is not through lack of motivation but rather a lack of resources and access to advice to engage in improvement projects and sustainable development. By providing resource through on-the-ground programmes, SFACT is enabling positive progress towards SDG 14’s targets for Indian Ocean Coastal States.
Have a read of our programmes below to find out what we’ve been up to, and if you would like to propose a programme for grant consideration, head to the Get Involved page for more information on how to get in touch.
Click below to download our PDF.
As a team we’d love to hear from you if you’d like to help or if you have any questions about what we’re about. We can’t wait to hear from you!
