West Indian Ocean Region

The Western Indian Ocean region includes the western part of the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea, Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea (FAO fishing area 51). Twenty-four countries border this region: Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Egypt, India (west coast), Iran, Iraq, Kenya, Kuwait, Madagascar, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, South Africa (east coast), Sudan, Tanzania, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. In addition, several French overseas territories are located in this region: Reunion Island, Mayotte, Tromelin, Europa, Bassas da India, and Juan de Nova.

Research on bycatch of long-lived, air-breathing vertebrates is at a relatively nascent stage in the Western Indian Ocean. There are reports of bycatches of dugongs, sea turtles, and dolphins (humpback and bottlenose), primarily in gillnet and trawl fisheries. In the southern-most latitudes of this region, seabird bycatch has also been documented in longline gear. Recently, local scientists have initiated efforts to assess bycatch of sea turtles and marine mammals in the region. In particular, members of the Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA) have initiated collaborative projects to investigate bycatch of marine mammals and sea turtles. In 2006, WIOMSA sponsored the Western Indian Ocean Regional Workshop on Incidental Catch of Non-targeted Marine Species: Problems and Mitigation Measures. At that workshop, researchers concluded that one of the most significant threats to marine mammals and sea turtles in this region is by-catch in artisanal gillnets and that quantitative assessments of these catches were needed (Kiszka and Muir 2007). In addition, the Indian Ocean – Southeast Asian Marine Turtle Memorandum of Understanding (IOSEA) hosted the Year of the Turtle in 2006 to increase visibility of turtle conservation in the region.