OBF works with diverse stakeholders in the fishing industry to develop innovative solutions to address IUU fishing, drive small scale and commercial fisheries to sustainability and promote fair, equitable and sustainable fisheries access arrangements.
In line with the agenda, in March 2025, the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), an OBF partner, delivered a two day workshop in Kikambala, Kenya to 28 participants from government (Kenya Fisheries Service; Kenya Marine & Fisheries Research Institute; State Department for the Blue Economy and Fisheries; and Mombasa and Kilifi County Department of Fisheries), academia (Pwani University and Technical University of Mombasa) and environmental NGOs (The Nature Conservancy and WWF-Kenya).
Facilitated by the Kenya Marine & Fisheries Research Institute, the aim of the workshop was to enhance understanding of the MSC’s Pathway to Sustainability Program and identify which Kenyan fisheries might benefit the most from employing this approach.
The Pathway to Sustainability Program is a framework to support fisheries wanting to improve the environmental performance of their fishing practices and become more sustainable and resilient. The program consists of tools and options for funding that can support fisheries while they implement sustainability improvements.
A component of the workshop involved participants mapping the various improvement initiatives already being undertaken in Kenyan fisheries and discussing which fisheries could benefit the most from employing the Pathway to Sustainability approach.
A recent exciting development is that MSC has secured external funding to support two Kenyan fisheries to begin their engagement with Pathway to Sustainability Program.
