How Gabon Is Leading The Way In Protecting Their Marine Life
In 2016, Sea Shepherd launched Operation Albacore , a partnership with Gabon to weed out illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing in their waters. Coming toward the end of Sea Shepherd's anti-whaling campaigns in the Antarctic (which saved 6,000 whales and ultimately saw Japan leave Antarctica in 2019), it was met with skepticism by the group's supporters. However, with a few possible exceptions, this is the most impactful campaign Sea Shepherd has ever conducted and comes at a time when Gabon is ramping up their work defending their marine life. In 2017, Gabon's president announced the creation of a combined total of 20 new marine parks and aquatic reserves covering 26 percent of Gabon's oceans, surpassing the network of protected areas that covers 10 percent of Gabon's land area and making it the largest network of marine protected areas in Africa. In 2018, Gabon banned the practice of setting tuna nets on whales and whale sharks to capture t