Important progress has also been achieved on the financial regulation of SIOFA. The final revision and approval of these documents will be done in the next meeting in June 2016 in La Reunion, where SIOFA will be based.

The European Commission has welcomed the outcome of the meeting which affirmed that SIOFA will become a fully operational Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (RFMO) within the next year. Well functioning RFMOs are key to ensure an effective governance of the oceans.

SIOFA is a non-tuna Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (RFMO) which completes the coverage of RFMOs in the Indian Ocean. The objectives of SIOFA are to ensure the long-term conservation and sustainable use of the fishery resources through cooperation and to promote the sustainable development of fisheries, taking into account the needs of its members and in particular the least-developed and small island states.  The SIOFA Area of Competence covers the high seas between eastern Africa and Western Australia. SIOFA is adjacent to the Convention Area of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) in the south, the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (SPRFMO) Convention Area in the east and the South East Atlantic Fisheries Organisation (SEAFO) Convention Area to the west.

At present, the members of SIOFA are: Australia, Cook Islands, the EU, France, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mauritius and Seychelles.

More information

South Indian Ocean Fisheries Agreement (SIOFA)