As part of the regional IUU project entitled “Combatting Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing in Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana (the Guianas)” funded by the Oceans 5, a sponsored project of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, WWF-Guianas has been working since 2021 to combat (IUU) fishing in the Guianas trough a collaborative process. The objective of this project was to significantly reduce IUU fishing throughout the Guianas, by developing and implementing National Plan of Actions (NPOAs), increase and strengthen cooperation and data sharing between the three Guianas with a focus on the artisanal fishing sector.
Preliminary results of research executed by Fishingcleaner.com show that fisherfolks today have to spend significantly more time at sea (up to 3 times as long) and use longer nets (up to 4 times) to catch half the amount of fish as 30 to 40 years ago, resulting in an estimated 16 fold decrease in target fish availability. This indicates a decline of more than 90% in the targeted fish biomass (see presentation slides here). In relation, bycatch of the endangered leatherback turtle, among other protected species, has increased greatly over the past decade and remains the major threat today particularly so coming from IUU fishing activities which represents at least 1/2 of the total coastal fishing effort in this region. To restore the fish stock and protect the sector, promoting sustainable fishing and combating IUU fishing is essential. One of the consultants Fishingcleaner.com (Michel Nalovic) was commissioned by WWF-Guianas to develop a regional roadmap to address IUU fishing in the Guianas by strengthening collaborations, facilitating discussions on actions which can and should be taken in order to exchange data and practices. To this end, several physical and virtual national and regional meetings and workshops were held. Consensual recommendations and action points on enforcement, legislation, data and research emerged from this work.
Rounding off the project, an inventory of the extent to which these necessary actions can be realistically achieved was developed by Fishingcleaner.com in cooperation with stakeholders in French Guiana and Suriname. The progress of ongoing initiatives, prospective follow-up projects, and feasible bottlenecks or obstacles were examined. Participation in numerous consultations, intense discussions, the sharing of sensitive information and the increased workload due to the drafting of ambitious national strategies required a lot of perseverance. Nevertheless, recognition of systematic overfishing by all countries involved and at all levels was achieved, highlighting the urgency for a more effective and powerful joint fight against IUU fishing in the Guianas in order to preserve the marine ecosystems and the coastal communities resilience in the face of climate change.
Preliminary results of research executed by Fishingcleaner.com show that fisherfolks today have to spend significantly more time at sea (up to 3 times as long) and use longer nets (up to 4 times) to catch half the amount of fish as 30 to 40 years ago, resulting in an estimated 16 fold decrease in target fish availability. This indicates a decline of more than 90% in the targeted fish biomass (see presentation slides here). In relation, bycatch of the endangered leatherback turtle, among other protected species, has increased greatly over the past decade and remains the major threat today particularly so coming from IUU fishing activities which represents at least 1/2 of the total coastal fishing effort in this region. To restore the fish stock and protect the sector, promoting sustainable fishing and combating IUU fishing is essential. One of the consultants Fishingcleaner.com (Michel Nalovic) was commissioned by WWF-Guianas to develop a regional roadmap to address IUU fishing in the Guianas by strengthening collaborations, facilitating discussions on actions which can and should be taken in order to exchange data and practices. To this end, several physical and virtual national and regional meetings and workshops were held. Consensual recommendations and action points on enforcement, legislation, data and research emerged from this work.
Rounding off the project, an inventory of the extent to which these necessary actions can be realistically achieved was developed by Fishingcleaner.com in cooperation with stakeholders in French Guiana and Suriname. The progress of ongoing initiatives, prospective follow-up projects, and feasible bottlenecks or obstacles were examined. Participation in numerous consultations, intense discussions, the sharing of sensitive information and the increased workload due to the drafting of ambitious national strategies required a lot of perseverance. Nevertheless, recognition of systematic overfishing by all countries involved and at all levels was achieved, highlighting the urgency for a more effective and powerful joint fight against IUU fishing in the Guianas in order to preserve the marine ecosystems and the coastal communities resilience in the face of climate change.
Read more about our overall approach to combat IUU:
https://www.wwfguianas.org/our_work22/oceans/fisheries/_illegal_fishing/
https://www.wwfguianas.org/our_work22/oceans/fisheries/_illegal_fishing/
