Although UN members have agreed to protect high seas’ marine life through the new international treaty, fisheries governance pressure group Accountability.Fish is calling for immediate action to make existing international fisheries governance bodies more accountable and transparent.
The U.S.-based campaign organisation said there remains an urgent need for fisheries governance reform and open access to regional fisheries management organisation (RFMO) proceedings.
It said it wants there to be greater media and citizen visibility into their decision-making processes, and to reduce the potential for short-term profit taking by industrial fisheries interests who seek to cash in on overfishing before the new treaty comes into effect.
“After many frustrating years where previous conferences became undone by complex and muddled negotiations, the world now has an agreement that will advance the protection and management of marine biodiversity in ocean areas beyond national jurisdiction. This represents a needed and welcome step from commercially-driven fisheries management toward a more holistic and environmentally-oriented paradigm of oceans management,” Accountability.Fish Global Director Ryan Orgera said.
“But with that opportunity comes danger – mainly the danger that industrial fisheries interests will try to cash in as much as they can by overfishing before a treaty comes into effect. The current regional fisheries management organisation (RFMO) system remains too beholden to industry interests and too closed to media observation and citizen participation to prevent subversion of this treaty’s intent without immediate action.”
Orgera said that while conserving the biodiversity of the high seas is essential for the earth’s environmental health, and the goal of protecting 30% of the world’s oceans is “critical and laudable”, he added that as the RFMO decision-making process “remains opaque and weighted towards industry interests”, a lot of damage could happen before the treaty takes effect.
Even then there will be a need to take further action to bring fisheries management in line with the emerging holistic approach to oceans management, he said.
“As long as critical meetings where actual practices are monitored and sanctioned are closed, a holistic approach to oceans management will be impossible to meaningfully implement.”
