Thai Deputy Prime Minister, General Prawit Wongsuwan, during a meeting with the Environmental Justice Foundation’s Executive Director, Steve Trent, committed to protect and build on recent fisheries reforms.
A trawler has been arrested in Ghanaian waters after having been caught on illegally fishing at least 13.9 tonnes of small pelagic fish in a single day, using illegal nets, and has been ordered to pay a fine of $1 million by the Ghanaian authorities.
A Japanese Fisheries Agency patrol ship collided with a North Korean fishing vessel on the morning of Monday, October 7, which led to the sinking of the fishing vessel. A search for survivors has been established and as announced by the agency that all of the sixty individuals that were on board at the time have been safely rescued.
The Government of the Gambia collaborated with the Sea Shepherd arresting a fourth trawler, fishing vessel ‘Niam Niokho’ for fishing within The Gambia’s nine-nautical mile Special Management Area reserved for artisanal fishermen in less than a month.
NOAA launched its 2019 ‘Improving International Fisheries Management’ report highlighting the nations who haven’t made much effort to tackle illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities; Mexico, Ecuador and the Republic of Korea were identified for reported IUU activities.
In spite of a clear decline in certain fish populations, many fisheries subsidies still promote illegal fishing, overfishing and overcapacity, according to UNCTAD, adding that their removal is a priority. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), 33% of the world’s fish resources are overfished, while around 60% are fished at maximum biologically sustainable levels.
The transshipment of catch, which enables fresh fish to get to market sooner, is a significant but largely hidden part of the global commercial fishing industry. Transshipment regards hundreds of refrigerated cargo vessels, or carrier vessels, roaming the oceans, taking in catch from thousands of fishing vessels and transporting it to shore for processing.
The crew of US Coast Guard Cutter ‘Mellon’, including two Canadian fishery officers, returned to their homeport of Seattle Sunday after an 80-day patrol detecting and deterring illegal fishing activity in the Pacific Ocean. The boarding teams detected a total of 68 potential violations.
The Sea Shepherd has partnered with the government of Gambia to tackle and halt illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in West Africa. The partners arrested in late August two illegal fishing vessels for fishery violations.
