Global leaders unite to end pirate fishing

Fisheries Ministers from Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Chile and Namibia, together with representatives from WWF, the World Conservation Union and the Earth Institute, have created a High Seas Task Force (HSTF) to deal with the problem. The Task Force is now making recommendations in response to a lack of international focus and practical action on the critical issue of IUU.

“IUU fishing and bycatch pose some of the most serious threats to commercial fish stocks globally,” said Robert Rangeley, Atlantic Director, WWF-Canada. “On the Grand Banks, WWF-Canada has found that illegal fishing often is disguised as bycatch. There has been a lack of global political resolve to tackle the root causes of IUU which thrives where weak governance prevails. The measures proposed by the Task Force can help play an important role in ending this practice.”

Key among these measures are:
· Ending all unregulated high seas fisheries and promoting better high seas governance.
· Promoting increased and better use of technological solutions by enhancing vessel monitoring systems.
· Supporting trade measures controlling the import of IUU product.
· Adopting guidelines on flag state performance with respect to high seas fishing vessels.

WWF believes that there are many measures that can be taken in Canadian waters without further delay. They will complement and accelerate other international efforts currently underway.

Canada and other nations committed to working on this problem at the Conference on the Governance of High Seas Fisheries and the United Nations Fish Agreement held in St. John’s last May. Partially as a result of these efforts, the North Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO), which consists of 13 countries fishing on the Grand Banks, is undergoing reform in order to better protect fish stocks. These reforms are expected to be presented at NAFO’s next annual meeting which will be held in Canada in September. WWF will be watching closely to ensure that real action takes place.

Stopping IUU fishing is a key element in WWF-Canada’s work to recover the health of the Grand Banks. Other needed measures include: basing all fisheries management decisions on science; prohibiting bottom-trawling and other impacts in biologically significant areas; reducing bycatch; and investing in better “smart gear” technology that catches fewer non-targeted fish with less damage to habitat.

“By implementing the measures outlined in the Task Force’s report, nations can help make IUU unprofitable and end the practice of fishing illegally,” concluded Rangeley. “If Canada implements these measures now, as well as the expected action items coming out of the September NAFO meeting, Canada has an opportunity to make a real change on the water and help ensure sustainable fisheries.”