Central Indian Ocean
There is a large offshore tuna fishery as well as a
small licensed inshore fishery operated by Mauritian
fishermen who visit the reefs for a few months each year
There have also been reports of illegal fishing, notably
for sharks and sea cucumbers, although the BIOT
Administration has run a fisheries protection vessel for
part or all of the year over recent years. A number of the
islands and their associated reefs have been declared
protected areas. These cover substantial areas of reef
They are occasionally patrolled by military personnel,
although the licensed fishing vessels are allowed to operate within their borders. Overall, partly as a result of their
history and continuing isolation, but further supported by
current management measures, the reefs of the Chagos
probably represent some of the most pristine and best
protected in the Indian Ocean.
Protected areas w th coral reefs
Site name
Designation
Abbreviation
lUCN cat.
Size (km'l
Year
British Indian Ocean Territory
Cow Island
Strict Nature Reserve
SNR
II
na
1798
Danger Island
Strict Nature Reserve
SNR
11
na
1998
Diego Garcia
Restricted Area
RestA
V
na
199^
Eastern Peros Banhos Atoll
Strict Nature Reserve
SNR
II
na
1998
Nelson Island
Strict Nature Reserve
SNR
11
na
1998
Three Brothers and Resurgent
Islands
Strict Nature Reserve
SNR
11
na
1998
A shallow lagoon scene in Salomon Atoll in 1996. These reefs were devastated by the coral bleaching and mortality
which occurred in 1998.