A new alliance has launched in British Columbia, Canada to bolster the global effort to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.
US-based non-profit, Sustainable Fisheries Partnership joins the World Resources Institute, the Norwegian Ministry of Climate and Environment, US State Department, and others in inaugurating the new Nature Crime Alliance and the Vancouver Statement on Nature Crime.
SFP is the first organisation to join the alliance to focus specifically on improving fisheries management and enforcement.
“Effectively fighting illegal fishing requires coordination and collaboration of key stakeholders,” said Braddock Spear, global policy director at SFP.
“To stop illegal fishing, we need solid and just laws with broad support, and good and fair enforcement.
“The alliance will bring together necessary stakeholders and resources at a global scale never done before, and create a platform to implement our shared vision of stopping illegal fishing.”
The initial aim is to bring together government officials, seafood buyers, and companies to develop and enhance electronic monitoring systems and verification.
The alliance also aims to raise awareness of IUU fishing which is estimated to account for one fifth of the global catch, making it the most lucrative natural resource crime after illegal timber and mining.
