Official start of the “Global Sustainable Supply Chain Marine Commodities” Project

Aiming to protect and preserve the sustainable productivity of the fishery sector, The Ministry of Aquaculture and Fisheries of Ecuador with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), held the global inception workshop of “Global Sustainable Supply Chain Marine Commodities” project. This inter-regional and multi-state project had the participation of Indonesia, Costa Rica, the Philippines and Ecuador.

The workshop, which finished on November 10^th, had participation of fisheries authorities of the four governments members of the project.

This worldwide pioneering initiative, allows participant countries to take actions that guarantee sustainable fisheries by creating stakeholde´s dialogue spaces (at the national level) with the end goal to  improve the selected fisheries (in the case of Ecuador: industrial tuna purse seine, artisanal and industrial Mahi-Mahi, and Hake) by fostering market access for certified MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) fisheries or fisheries intervened by FIPs (Fisheries Improvement Projects) in international markets (Japan, United States and Europe).

The Ecuadorian Ministry of Aquaculture and Fisheries, Katuska Drouet, indicated that “it is of priority to encourage good governance by assimilating and implementing international tools and policies, in order to achieve a productive, inclusive and sustainable production along the region”.

UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in Ecuador, Nuno Queiros, advised to workshop participants about anthropogenic pressure in marine and fishery resources, and the inappropriate practices as illegal, non-declared and non-regulated fishing that is generating overfishing and pollution. In his final remark, Nuno mentioned that “This overfishing situation is leading us to think about the increasing demand of seafood products”.

José Vicente Troya, Regional Technical Advisor for Water and Oceans at the UNDP Regional Center in Panama, reported that 90% of the world´s fisheries are either fully fished or overexploited, which is why it is important to promote markets that support responsible consumption, respect the environment, and use fishing gear that is not destructive.

 “It is important to identify common interests, in order to construct goals and endeavors that allow sustainable efforts”, emphasized Jose Troya.

Better practices generated among participant countries, will be shared and replicated by its members and disseminated to other stakeholders to improve the state of worldwide fisheries.