In 2002, at the Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) a plan emerged to restore the approximately 60% of global fish stocks, which have been fished to the brink of destruction, to biologically sustainable levels by 2015. This plan was made in an attempt to secure greater food security for many of the world's people. However, severe Illegal Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing in many of the world's fisheries makes the realisation of such a plan difficult, especially in the developing context where there are little means for regulating ocean fishery usage effectively. This dissertation examines the nature of IUU fishing, and attempts to find possible solutions to this pervasive problem for many coastal states in the developing world. The methods employed by the study comprise a review of literature pertaining to both theoretical and practical dilemmas, as well as a more focussed examination on IUU fishing in Senegal. Using a process of inductive analysis the case is contrasted with the theory in view of finding routes to improved resource exploitation mechanisms in the region. The study concludes that the global over-fishing crisis may create a window of opportunity for developing countries in possession of such resources to better manage their fisheries and take advantage of possible comparative advantages in international trade in fish products, thus improving balance of payments problems. However in order to achieve this, as a first measure the problem of IUU fishing must be eradicated. / Thesis (M.Pol.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2004.