Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to protect the British Indian Ocean Territory Marine Protected Area from illegal shark poaching.

The British Indian Ocean Territory is constitutionally distinct and separate from the UK, with its own laws and Administration. It is administered by the British Indian Ocean Territory Administration (BIOTA) who have responsibility for the protection of the Marine Protected Area, including issues relating to illegal unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.