A Decade of Community-Led Marine Conservation
In Cabo Verde, a pioneering program called Guardians of the Sea has reached its 10th anniversary. Since June 2026, the initiative has mobilized 190 fishers from seven of the archipelago’s 10 islands to protect marine ecosystems while conducting their daily fishing work. The program launched on the island of Maio in 2016 and expanded to its seventh island, São Antão, with 30 guardians in 2024.
Alberto Martius, a fisher from Fogo Island, volunteers alongside his 18-year-old son Leandro. “I’m proud my son is following in my footsteps, protecting the ocean,” Martius told Mongabay. “Almost every day, I’m patrolling this area to monitor marine animals and make them return as numerous as they were when I was a little kid.”
Fishers have always been a pillar of Cabo Verde’s economy and identity. The country hosts a fleet of approximately 1,535 vessels, ranging from artisanal to semi-industrial, and the sector provides a livelihood for coastal families.
Origins and Motivation
Guardians of the Sea arose out of concerns about overfishing and illegal fishing practices, according to Sara Ratão, who helped develop it during her tenure as marine program coordinator with the Maio Biodiversity Foundation. “Having worked with the fishing community and monitored marine life for several years, we observed that numerous illegal activities were occurring, often with little government oversight,” Ratão, currently a Ph.D. student studying shark ecology at the University of Porto in Portugal, told Mongabay.
She listed several illegal practices still happening today: semi-industrial vessels fishing within 3 nautical miles of the coast (prohibited except in few cases), artisanal boats fishing near islands other than their home island, divers with scuba tanks pursuing fish, capture of protected species (sea turtles and hammerhead sharks), and non-compliance with temporary fishing closures.
The Role of Fishers as Ocean Guardians
Run by eight local and international NGOs and led by the Maio Biodiversity Foundation at the national level, the program trains and supports fishers to serve as voluntary ocean observers. Among other tasks, they monitor megafauna and collect data on illegal activities during their fishing trips.
On Maio: Impressive Data Collection
Fishers from Maio conducted a total of 139,181 patrol trips and recorded 2,338 sightings of marine megafauna between 2016 and 2025, said Thais Macedo, the program’s coordinator with Maio Biodiversity Foundation. Over the same period, they documented 513 instances of illicit activities in the waters surrounding the island, mostly involving small-scale nearshore fishing vessels. The Foundation did not provide data for other islands or the program as a whole.
Macedo noted the monitoring system is not intended as an enforcement mechanism. Limited institutional capacity and economic resources constrain authorities’ ability to enforce fisheries regulations consistently. The only national Maritime Police vessel operating around Maio has been out of commission for several months. Instead, data collected provides an important baseline for understanding patterns of illicit activity.
“The presence of the Guardians acts as a strong deterrent against illegal activities,” Ratão said via email. “Respected Guardians leverage their standing within the community to raise awareness among other fishermen regarding the critical importance of long-term, sustainable marine management.”
Training and Equipment
Various local NGOs run practical workshops covering conservation topics such as sustainable fishing, marine protected areas (MPAs), ecosystem conservation and community involvement. On Fogo, 40 fishers have joined from four of the island’s seven fishing communities. Projecto Vitó, the local NGO running the program on Fogo and Brava Island, provides gear for sustainable fishing, GPS equipment, a camera, life jackets, a first aid kit, a megafauna monitoring kit, and a handbook with emergency contacts and species identification. Guardians fill out a daily log to document species they saw.
Impact and Challenges
Being a guardian brings both benefits and tensions. Mauricio Monteiro Rodrigues, a father of two who has been a fisher for nine years, joined because he felt surrounded by a lack of discipline. “Other fishers consider me more as an activist than as a colleague,” said Marcelino Gomes, who has fished since childhood. “Many believe I’ll report them or that I might act as an informer. Not everyone realizes that this work benefits all of us.”
A survey by the U.K.-based NGO Fauna & Flora together with local partners showed most fishing communities use grounds overlapping with 22 MPAs, from which larger vessels are excluded. Alice Costa, a grant manager with Fauna & Flora, told Mongabay that the guardians are “precious” sea observers. One fisher recently spotted a magnificent frigatebird (Fregata magnificens), quite rare in the archipelago.
The program helps fishers make their voices heard. “Now, when the fishers go to meetings, they know what to say and how to speak to be heard,” said Macedo. Carina Fernandes, a professor at the University of Cape Verde not involved in the program, praised its approach: “The project’s greatest merit lies in not imposing external solutions, but rather involving our fishers as active participants in protecting marine resources.”
Similar programs exist in São Tomé and Príncipe. Michele Maccari, a researcher at the University of Parma working in both countries, said, “In Cabo Verde, awareness-raising activities with small-scale artisanal fishers are a fundamental pillar for ensuring the sustainability of the fisheries value chain.” He suggested involving additional actors such as peixeiras (fishmongers).
Future Plans
After a decade of activity, the Guardians of the Sea program is looking to compile a comprehensive report aggregating data from all participating islands and present it to the government, according to Ratão. The goal is to provide an evidence-based overview of prevalent illegal activities and their locations so authorities can prioritize enforcement efforts.
“If we preserve the sea and marine ecosystem we can lead a peaceful life through fishing, which is not only our job but also our passion,” said Monteiro.