From News Desk

The South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (SPRFMO) plays a vital role in safeguarding one of the largest and most important areas of the global ocean. Its mandate spans nearly a quarter of the world’s high seas and its decisions help shape the future of fisheries, ecosystems and communities throughout the Pacific.

But as members of SPRFMO gather in Panama this week for the 14th Meeting of the SPRFMO Commission, transparency is seen as a must at the centre of their discussions.

The ocean and its fisheries are foundational to the global economy and its food systems. More than 3 billion people around the world rely on wild-caught seafood for 20 percent of their protein. And globally, the commercial fishing industry generates USD 141 billion each year.

Yet, determining who actually profits from fishing activities is often a challenge, hindered by opaque ownership structures behind which bad actors can hide. Indeed, illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing often thrives in the shadows of these complex ownership structures, giving rise to a lawless ocean where sea slavers, pirate fishers and polluters can operate with relative impunity.

That’s why Global Fishing Watch is attending this year’s SPRFMO with a firm call for Member States to require the disclosure of vessels’ ultimate beneficial owners (UBO) i.e., those who control and ultimately benefit from a vessel’s activities, so that they can bring the hidden actors into full view.

Says a statement from the Global Fishing Watch, “We cannot manage what we cannot see. And when transparency increases, accountability follows. At Global Fishing Watch, our mission is to make human activity at sea visible so that science, policy and enforcement can work together to protect our shared ocean. We stand ready to collaborate with SPRFMO Members and Cooperating Non-Contracting Parties to advance transparency, strengthen accountability and ensure sustainable fisheries for generations to come.”

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