The SWIOFP is an ambitious multinational research project with an overall goal that will see the West Indian Ocean’s marine resources ecologically managed for sustainable use and benefit by the region’s riparian countries. The project forms part of the Large Marine Ecosystem Programme approach (LME) and is supported by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) as a contribution to its international waters programme. Over the next five year, nine countries of the Western Indian Ocean will work together to understand and management better their fisheries through an LME and Ecosystem Based Approach.