Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) has joined regional and international partners to launch GoTFish, a five-year initiative to strengthen fisheries governance in the Gulf of Thailand.
Implemented by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization and funded by the Global Environment Facility, the project will coordinate action across Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Viet Nam to restore fish stocks, protect marine biodiversity, and advance sustainable fisheries in Southeast Asian fisheries.
“The Gulf of Thailand is reaching a critical crossroads. With GoTFish, SFP is mobilising the private sector to turn global seafood demand into a force for recovery,” said Pedro Ferreiro, fisheries governance and livelihoods Director, SFP.
Rebuilding ecosystems
The GoTFish Project, formally titled Promoting the Blue Economy and Strengthening Fisheries Governance of the Gulf of Thailand through the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries, supports regional objectives under the South China Sea Strategic Action Programme.
It’s an initiative which aims to rebuild overexploited stocks, improve natural resource management and strengthen cooperation across national boundaries in one of the world’s most productive marine ecosystems.
The project is structured around four components, including strengthening transboundary fisheries governance, aligning market and behavioural incentives to support sustainable fisheries, conserving critical aquatic habitats through ecological corridors and enhancing stakeholder engagement, communication and monitoring.
As executing agency for market-focused activities, SFP is leading efforts to leverage seafood supply chains to drive responsible practices.
Work will focus on multi-species trawl fisheries supplying marine ingredients and small pelagic fisheries serving the fish sauce sector, addressing overexploitation, illegal fishing and weak governance.
By targeting key fisheries in the Gulf, GoTFish seeks to restore 75% of depleted stocks while safeguarding marine biodiversity and long-term livelihoods across the region.
