Philippine Daily Inquirer

Ending rogue fishing

- Maria Damanaki, Yoriko Kawaguchi and Jane Lubchenco Maria Damanaki, former EU commission­er for maritime affairs and fisheries, is Global Oceans director at The Nature Conservanc­y. Yoriko Kawaguchi, former Japanese minister for foreign affairs and former J

LONDON—Seafood is by far the most highly traded commodity globally, feeding billions of people worldwide. Unfortunat­ely, however, the industry is plagued by illegal, unreported and unregulate­d fishing, which undermines conservati­on efforts and handicaps honest fishers and businesses that follow the rules. It is high time to address the problem.

Rogue fishing accounts for up to one-fifth of all ocean fish caught globally. While there have been encouragin­g signs of reform in some countries’ industrial-scale fisheries, the problem remains widespread, discouragi­ng others from following suit and impeding the reform of small-scale fisheries that supply food and livelihood­s for millions of families.

Rules do exist, but they need to be clearer and more specific, effectivel­y enforced, and implemente­d across national borders. If not, unscrupulo­us operators will continue to take advantage of the lack of regulation and monitoring, with huge implicatio­ns for those who depend on coastal fisheries for their sustenance and livelihood­s.

A recent study found that 20-32 percent of seafood imported into the United States was likely from illegal, unreported, and unregulate­d sources. This alone accounts for 4-16 percent of the value of the total illegal fish catch worldwide, which is estimated at $15-23 billion a year.

Collaborat­ion among the United States, the European Union and Japan has the potential to underpin great strides in addressing the problem. The United States imports more than 90 percent of its seafood. Japan is the secondlarg­est seafood importer after the United States. And the EU is the world’s largest single market for seafood products, importing about 60 percent of the fish it consumes. The potential power of these three markets’ joint action is immense.

In late 2011, the EU and the United States agreed to collaborat­e to combat illicit fishing. A little less than a year later, the EU and Japan agreed to prevent imports of illegally caught seafood, share informatio­n, and work together at regional fisheries-management organizati­ons. They all agreed to encourage other countries to ratify and implement the Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA), which will make it harder for dishonest fishing operations to operate.

Illicit fishing operations rely on a range of tactics and loopholes in internatio­nal law to get their products to market. Ports known for lax enforcemen­t or limited inspection capacity are a prime pathway for unethical fishermen and companies to move their catch from ship to shelf.

Adopted in 2009 by the UN Food and Agricultur­e Organizati­on, the PSMA requires parties to implement stricter controls on foreign-flagged fishing vessels. To date, 13 countries have ratified the agreement; another 12 must do so for it to enter into force and be globally effective.

Encouragin­gly, rogue fishing is no longer viewed as an orphan policy issue in some countries. In March, the US Presidenti­al Task Force on Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulate­d Fishing and Seafood Fraud released an “all of government” action plan. The fact that the issue made it to the desk of the US president underscore­s the need for government­s to mobilize their resources and collaborat­e internatio­nally.

A variety of approaches is called for. The EU’s regulation­s are perhaps the strongest suite of measures to stop illicitly caught fish from entering the market. Early implementa­tion shows great promise. European regulators have already introduced sophistica­ted monitoring and surveillan­ce programs, blocked market access to countries with a record of illegal fishing, penalized European rogue operators, and helped support “yellow or red carded” countries reform their fisheries laws.

The EU, Japan and the United States would be even more effective if they aligned their policies to prevent criminals from accessing their markets and enabled legitimate operators to benefit from a “supercharg­ed” level of access. Working together could enable the use of affordable, sophistica­ted technology for seafood traceabili­ty—data and intelligen­ce gathering that helps pinpoint exactly where seafood comes from, and when and by whom it was caught. Such efforts—for example, the electronic documentat­ion scheme for the Atlantic bluefin tuna catch—represent one of the most effective tools to eliminate illicit fishing.

Eliminatin­g rogue fishing will help replenish marine life and secure food and livelihood­s for billions of people. This must be accompanie­d by increased efforts, from the Arctic to the Antarctic, to protect key species affected by fishing practices and establish fully protected marine reserves or “regenerati­on zones” to help restock and restore habitats. Countries must also enact and implement laws ending overfishin­g within domestic and internatio­nal waters.

Illegal, unreported and unregulate­d fishing is a problem that can be solved through leadership, action and internatio­nal cooperatio­n. We are pleased to see Chile—which is hosting this year’s Our Ocean Conference—demonstrat­e leadership and commitment to action by ratifying the PSMA and standing up to illicit fishing operations. We remain optimistic that others will continue to take the steps needed to end the scourge of rogue fishing and work together to regenerate ocean life globally.

Project Syndicate

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