United States splashes USD 96 million to combat illegal fishing in oceans as Kenya sails blue action plan
Kenya's Blue Carbon Ecosystems (BCEs), which include approximately 61,000 hectares of mangroves and 39,000 hectares of seagrass beds, cover less than 0.2 percent of the country's land area.
Black News 
Washington is forking out USD 96 million to combat illegal fishing activities and advance maritime security across all oceans in the world.
At the 11th Our Ocean Conference (OOC11) which was recently held in the coastal Mombasa City of Kenya, the United States announced 24 commitments worth over US$96 million, subject to Congressional notification, to advance maritime security; combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing; and promote science-based fisheries management.
These commitments include over US$52 million to counter illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing across every ocean basin where it threatens communities and ecosystems.
The United States also highlighted the first-ever use of visa restrictions targeting foreign nationals who are responsible for, complicit in, facilitating, or benefiting from illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing and other IUU fishing-related activities.
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Ocean, Fisheries, and Polar Affairs Ruth Perry led the United States delegation at the 11th Our Oceans Conference.
By moving away from broad, hollow platitudes and focusing on measurable, market-driven outcomes, the United States delivered tangible results securing deals in the ocean economy, expanding opportunities for American industries, and protecting global fisheries from the tens of billions of dollars lost to IUU fishing each year.
Meanwhile Kenya unveiled a first-of-its-kind strategy recognizing mangroves and seagrass as critical components of the country’s climate action efforts.
The Blue Kenya Action Plan, was also launched at the ‘Our Oceans Conference,’ in Mombasa where John Kiptum, Technical Specialist, Conservation Policy, Fauna & Flora declared it to be the first-of-its-kind strategy that recognizes mangroves and seagrass as critical components of national contribution to tackling climate change and paves the way for greater investment in these magnificent marine ecosystems.
“As well as supporting a vast array of marine life – including fish, turtles, dugongs, sharks and whales – seagrass and mangroves help protect coastlines from storm surges, coastal erosion and flooding. In this way they not only help us to mitigate climate change, but they prepare us for its impacts.
“Fauna & Flora’s Kenya team has worked closely with the Kenyan government over the last 12 months to provide technical input to the action plan, bringing scientific data from our mangrove and seagrass sites into the national picture,” he stated.
With support from Pew Charitable Trust and Ocean 5’s Ocean-Climate Diplomacy Initiative among other partners, Kenya has also been able to help facilitate stakeholder consultations on the plan – an incredibly important step for ensuring we can deliver better conservation and management of Blue Carbon ecosystems, to benefit all communities in Kenya, and the vital marine life upon which we all depend.”
Kenya’s Blue Carbon Ecosystems (BCEs), which include approximately 61,000 hectares of mangroves and 39,000 hectares of seagrass beds, cover less than 0.2 percent of the country’s land area.
Despite their small size, these ecosystems provide significant ecological and climate benefits by protecting shorelines, supporting fisheries, sustaining coastal tourism, conserving biodiversity and promoting emerging blue economy sectors.
These ecosystems are among Kenya’s most carbon-dense, storing massive amounts of carbon and making an important contribution to national greenhouse gas reduction.
Since 1990, BCEs have stored over 75 million tons of CO2 equivalent, accounting for approximately 7 percent to 14 percent of Kenya’s total Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) sequestration.
This contribution is disproportionately large in comparison to their area, highlighting the strategic importance of BCEs as a high- impact mitigation wedge in the land sector. However, Blue Carbon Ecosystems are under increasing threat from human activities and environmental factors.
Since 1990, mangrove cover has decreased by 15 percent and seagrass beds by 6 percent.
The degradation of these ecosystems has reduced fisheries productivity, weakened shoreline stability, and undermined long-term resource sustainability. This highlights the importance of safeguarding BCEs as Kenya progresses towards a sustainable blue economy and fulfils its commitments under the Paris Agreement.
