New UK Minister of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Mr. Daniel Zeichner, expressed earlier this month the UK government’s broad support for a set of policies that would improve transparency and accountability in global fisheries governance and management. The statement by Mr Zeichner came in as a response to a written parliamentary question on the potential merits of adopting and implementing the Global Charter for Fisheries Transparency – a set of 10 policy measures that address a lack of transparency in vessel information, fishing activity, and fisheries governance and management to combat illegal fishing and prevent human rights and labour abuses at sea.
“The UK Government welcomes the broad principles set out in the Global Charter for Fisheries Transparency and sees considerable merit in its objective of improving transparency and accountability in global fisheries governance and management,” said Mr Zeichner.
The Coalition for Fisheries Transparency, a global network of civil society organisations that advocates for government adoption of stronger fisheries policies through ten transparency principles in the Charter, greatly appreciates this statement of intent and looks forward to supporting the UK to fully implement the principles in the near future.
“The UK plays a key role in international fisheries and maritime data. Its support for the Global Charter is both domestically and globally significant. We are ready to work with the UK to ensure fisheries transparency measures are put in place, in law and in practice,” commented Maisie Pigeon, Director of the Coalition for Fisheries Transparency. “This act would position the UK as an international leader for fisheries transparency, mobilising other countries around the world to follow suit,” she added.
A recent report A Global Charter for Fisheries Transparency: A framework for collaboration, justice, and sustainability by the Coalition for Fisheries Transparency highlights transparency as a powerful tool to improve fisheries governance at the national, regional, and global level. By adopting and implementing the vitally important fisheries policy reforms of the Global Charter into law and practice, governments demonstrate their commitment to equitable, sustainable, and well-governed fisheries that are free from harmful fishing practices, and from human rights and labour abuses. This entails regular collection, analysis, and public disclosure of data on fishing activities. Moreover, fostering inclusive participation in decision-making processes will allow governments, civil society, industry, and other stakeholders better monitor the use of marine fisheries resources.
The UK is either fully or partially implementing a range of policy measures set out in the Global Charter. These include: requiring the use of identification numbers on fishing vessels; publishing beneficial ownership data of UK-owned vessels; not permitting transshipment of fish at sea; and ratifying key international agreements, such as the Agreement on Port State Measures, International Labour Organization (ILO) Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and the Work in Fishing Convention.
“We will continue to keep under active review the steps we can take to combat illegal fishing and will continue to welcome engagement with the organisations who have produced the Charter,” assured Mr Zeichner.
Cover image: © OCEANA/ Juan Cuetos
