Heading into the 9th Annual Our Ocean Conference, being held in Greece 15-17 April 2024, the International Coalition of Fisheries Associations (ICFA) is calling on policymakers to make fisheries management recommendations that are realistic and holistic.
In a resolution posted its website, IFCA notes that without a balanced approach, people starve; that active fisheries management works, lines on a map don’t; and also that the blue economy is as green as it gets.
IFCA maintains that a balance between conservation and the sustainable use of natural resources and food security is important.
It also suggests that effective fisheries management is the strongest tool to simultaneously protect ocean health while also fostering human development, and that focusing solely on creating marine protected areas (MPAs) without considering the sustainable use of marine resources and the needs of coastal communities may have detrimental effects on food security and livelihoods.
With regards to the blue economy, the fishery policy group insists the fishing industry is committed to being an active participant in solutions for climate change resilience and that it is crucial to recognise that fisheries products, with their low carbon footprint and essential nutritional value, play a pivotal role in achieving global climate objectives.
ICFA’s Immediate Past Chair Javier Garat will attend the conference and participate in a side event hosted by the European Bureau for Conservation and Development entitled “Food Security: The Role of Sustainable Aquatic Blue Foods in the Green Transition”.
Meanwhile, ICFA member Esben Sverdup-Jensen from the Danish Pelagic Producers Organisation will be participating in Plenary Session VII: Promoting Sustainable Fisheries, scheduled for 17 April.
ICFA includes 24 seafood industry associations from Europe, North America, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Africa and Latin America. The coalition participates in the Convention on Biological Diversity, the FAO Committee on Fisheries, and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, among others. It is in special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council.
