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TAKING STOCK – Online Transparency of Fisheries Management Information

From the Fisheries Transparency Initiative (FiTI):

TAKING STOCK – Online Transparency of Fisheries Management Information

 

The Fisheries Transparency Initiative (FiTI) has worked with several governments to assess the level of fishing regulations and data that are transparent and accessible to the public (such as stock assessments, laws, subsidies).  Their main objective is to contribute to the sustainability of marine fisheries by increasing the accessibility, quality and credibility of national fisheries management information. The hope is that making management decisions more transparent gives way to an informed discourse about a country’s fisheries, and positively contributes to the economy and those who depend on the health of their ocean ecosystem. The UN Sustainable Goals, or, SDGs also spotlight the public right to information.

The FiTI is implemented in countries through national multi-stakeholder groups, consisting of representatives from government, business and organised civil society. These groups work collectively to assess the information in the public domain, make recommendations on how to improve information published by national authorities and jointly approve the publication of FiTI Reports. Out of the seven countries that have joined the FiTI so far, Seychelles and Mauritania are the first two countries that have started the process of publishing these in-depth, annual FiTI Reports. Due to these reports, national authorities in both countries made a range of previously unpublished information now publicly available for the very first time, including the contracts of foreign fishing access agreements, vessel registries, license information and information about the country’s small-scale fisheries sector and their contributions.

However, it was recognised that several approaches are needed to provoke a profound shift towards better and more transparent marine fisheries management. Therefore, the FiTI has launched a new program: TAKING STOCK – Online Transparency of Fisheries Management Information. These country assessments examines the level of information that national authorities publish on government websites regarding the country’s marine fisheries sector. Unlike FiTI Reports – which are multi-stakeholder driven – these TAKING STOCK assessments are desktop reviews by the FiTI International Secretariats and national reviewers. Beyond simply investigating what is and is not published online, the assessments also consider if information is freely accessible, up to date and easy for people to find – all important factors for properly understanding the current state of the sector. The programme aims to:

  • Accelerate global understanding of how different governments around the world – including those that are not likely to join initiatives such as the FiTI (such as China or Russia) – approach transparency in marine fisheries management;
  • Provide a useful baseline for countries that are beginning the process of increasing transparency in fisheries management;
  • Spark interest among stakeholders from countries hesitant to enhance transparency.
“
Lack of basic transparency could be seen as an underlying facilitator of all the negative aspects of the global fisheries sector – IUU fishing, fleet overcapacity, overfishing, ill-directed subsidies, corruption, poor fisheries management decisions, etc. A more transparent sector would place a spotlight on such activities whenever they occur, making it harder for perpetrators to hide behind the current veil of secrecy and requiring immediate action to be taken to correct the wrong.
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2010

The first TAKING STOCK assessment reports for Bangladesh and Peru have been published recently, kicking off a series of such national studies set to be published over the coming years (including for the US, Mexico, China, Russia, Chile, Indonesia). From the assessment was in Peru, in collaboration with WWF Peru:

“Overall, this assessment shows that Peru’s authorities provide substantial information on the country’s marine fisheries sector and that there is a genuine interest in sharing important information with the public: information for 26 out of 35 transparency elements (74%) is publicly available on government websites, although information is of varying quality…”

latin america stats on fisheries key findings

To read more about the methodology behind the transparency assessment and relevant synopses on each country assessment,  please visit:

https://www.fiti.global/taking-stock

 

To see Taking Stock reports on particular countries— please click:Taking Stock cover page

                 You can also read the Q&A with FiTI’s Executive Director:

Q&A With the Fisheries Transparency Initiative (FiTI)


Tags: FiTi, Taking Stock, Government, Transparency, IUU Fishing, Peru, Fisheries Management,
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This product is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents are the responsibility of FishWise and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.