Drivers and governance challenges of illegal fishing in the Pemba Channel Conservation Area, Zanzibar

This study examines the prevalence, socioeconomic drivers, and governance challenges of illegal fishing in the Pemba Channel Conservation Area (PECCA), Zanzibar a gazetted marine protected area covering approximately 1,000 km² along the western coastline of Pemba Island. Using a mixed-methods design, data were collected from 99 artisanal fishers across four purposively selected landing sites through structured questionnaires, key informant interviews, and direct field observations. Beach seining (12%), spearfishing (8%), and steel traps (3%) were the primary prohibited methods documented. Poverty drove 39% of reported violations followed by profitability (17%) and corruption (12%). Rule awareness was low: 64% of fishers were unaware of fisheries regulations, and only 52.5% held valid fishing license. Institutional enforcement capacity is critically constrained: four rangers patrol roughly 1,000 km², patrols run once weekly due to fuel budget limitations, and sanctions rarely advance beyond verbal warnings. These structural conditions sustain a low-detection environment in which non-compliance persists despite formal prohibition. Three intervention areas emerge from the data: strengthening patrol capacity and enforcement consistency, subsidizing access to legal fishing gear, and expanding community education alongside co-management governance. These findings provide empirical evidence on IUU fishing dynamics within a Western Indian Ocean MPA that has received limited systematic study and carry direct implications for fisheries governance reform in Zanzibar.