IUU Fishing on Lake Tanganyika
This report has been compiled at the request of the IOC IRFS Programme (EDF 10) for an assessment of the current status of illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing and trade on Lake Tanganyika, and the development of interventions that can be used to assist in improving monitoring, control and surveillance operations on the lake.
Lake Tanganyika represents the second largest lake in Africa, and is shared by the countries of Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania and Zambia. The lake covers a surface area of 32,600 km2.
In terms of jurisdiction, the DRC has control of 45% of the surface area, Tanzania 41% of the area, with Burundi and Zambia having control of 8% and 6% respectively. In terms of management structures, while the riparian countries are responsible for the management of their waters, the Convention on the Sustainable Management of Lake Tanganyika provides for the Lake Tanganyika Authority (LTA) to act as the overarching management body for the lake system.