Pathways to a Sustainable Ocean Economy
Last month, FishWise joined world leaders at the virtual U.S. launch of the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy’s new ocean action agenda that was inspired by the recent Transformations for a Sustainable Ocean Economy report. The Ocean Panel is led by 14 nations that make up 40% of the world’s coastlines, 30% of the world’s exclusive economic zones, and that all share 100 percent commitment to ensuring that our oceans are sustainably managed by 2030.
The report was informed by a two-year project involving hundreds of scientific experts around the world, and an Advisory Network that helped to shape the action agenda. As a member organization of the Advisory Network, FishWise’s Chief Executive Officer, Tobias Aguirre, left the event feeling hopeful about the action plan. He was heartened to see that many of the topics on which FishWise has focused our efforts were identified by experts as key areas to tackle in the upcoming decade.
The recent report sets bold, yet necessary goals, while identifying what sustainable management looks like through five key transformations including: Ocean Wealth, Ocean Health, Ocean Equity, Ocean Knowledge, and Ocean Finance. Within Ocean Wealth transformation, the 2030 goal for sustainable ocean food is identified as: “Wild fish stocks are restored and harvested at sustainable levels, aquaculture is sustainably grown to meet global needs, and waste is minimised and managed throughout the value chain.” The priority actions that are listed to reach this outcome are embedded across FishWise’s new strategic plan in service of our mission to sustain ocean ecosystems and the people who depend on them. These include (1) initiating efforts with industry around incentivising fishing gear and techniques that minimize bycatch among target species, (2) encouraging more sustainably farmed seafood through our business partnerships, (3) implementing and building capacity to enforce strong labor standards through our work on the Roadmap for Improving Seafood Ethics (RISE), and (4) promoting the requirement of transparency of seafood supply chains through the Seafood Alliance for Legality and Traceability (SALT) our efforts to combat illegal seafood.
The pandemic continues to reinforce how inextricably connected people and the planet are. By working together as a global community to build a sustainable ocean economy for all, we have an incredible opportunity to benefit nature, people, and the economy. Learn more about the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy and this global effort to “give it 100%.”
Written by
Lana Brandt, Communications Manager