F R O M   T H E   C R O W E ’ S   N E S T

 

 What Will We Have Gained



We finally have a joint statement on Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing signed by the U.S. and Europe. Of particular importance is that it is a statement backed by Senator Daniel Inouye. This historic statement doesn’t come with an enforcement package, however it is an official recognition of the IUU problem and a mandate for action.

The signed statement serves as an announcement that these two influential political forces are of a like mind on the issue and support aggressive efforts to curtail illegal fishing internationally. What is the next step? The assumption is that the mandate will be a solid foundation on which advance measures via the estimated 30 Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMO) around the world.

IUU fishing is a major and pervasive problem, devastating stocks, habitat and the fishermen and communities it puts out of business. Organized and inventive efforts by the world’s RFMOs could bring IUU fishing to the edge of profitability. One key goal is to reduce the amount of IUU fish getting to markets. The means and the networks to move illegal fish through the system have long been in place. The Canary Islands, off the northwest African coast have been described as the fish laundering capital of the world.

There has long been powerful resistance to regulation from European Union (EU) countries that profit from lax over-sight. The rusted out ships with no markings or nation flags, operating well over the horizon and shrouded in darkness is the image of the “pirate” IUU fishing vessel. But there are large, legal, corporate vessels funded by the European Union, that gain access to fish stocks off West Africa and elsewhere. With EU commissioned reports and FAO data warning otherwise, African fishing rights are sold. Painted and flagged EU ships then fish the resource to near extinction. The thousands of small boat fishermen and communities along these coasts are driven out of business and of hope.

If the joint statement leads to the end of pirate IUU fishing, by those in either three pointed hats or three piece suits, then a more credible assessment of fish stocks and sustainable means could be made. But if the end of IUU fishing only leads to more fish for the “legal” industrial trawlers, as destructive to the resource and communities as the outright pirates, what will have been gained.