Ghana minister: Transparency can save oceans from illegal fishing

Emelia Arthur is Ghana’s Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture.

For over a decade, the world’s oceans have been plagued by illegal fishing practices, which now pose a fundamental threat to our health and economies.

Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing costs up to $23.5 billion annually. This activity is creating complex security challenges that threaten global fish stocks and the stability of coastal communities worldwide.

The scale of this challenge is significant. Three-quarters of industrial fishing vessels operate without public tracking. This means we do not have good oversight or accountability of what is happening at sea, creating an environment ripe for criminal and unsustainable activities.

The problem is clear: without transparency, it’s impossible to manage fisheries or hold those responsible for breaking the law to account.

As leaders hold talks in Nice, France, for the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3), the call for greater transparency in global fisheries has never been louder - or more necessary.  

In 2021, Ghana received a second EU yellow card warning from the European Union regarding IUU fishing. The yellow card status affected our industrial fishers, who catch and export tuna that brings nearly $400 million to Ghana each year.

We saw the opportunity to fundamentally strengthen our fisheries governance and enforcement systems, to chart a more transparent future that would lift the yellow card and ensure a legacy that would safeguard Ghanaian jobs and food security.

At the recent Our Ocean Conference in South Korea, we became one of the first countries to officially endorse the Global Charter for Fisheries Transparency.

Within the charter, ten policy principles address the lack of transparency in three critical areas: vessel information, fishing activity, and governance and management. It acts as a guiding framework for governments to implement fisheries transparency reforms into law and practice.

Ghana is now implementing several measures, including delisting non-compliant fishing vessels, to clean up the fishing sector.

I urge other nations to be guided by our vision and to join the charter so that we can forge a future that delivers a sustainable, well-governed and resilient fisheries sector driven by equity, innovation and environmental stewardship.

The ocean is suffering and threatening livelihoods worldwide. Globally, 90% of global fish populations are overexploited or fished to capacity. As fish stocks become depleted, operators turn to illegal fishing and forced labour to remain profitable.

Almost 200 countries are now working to deliver the ‘30 by 30’ goal of protecting 30% of land and seas by 2030. We have a once-in-a-generation chance to work together, across oceans, to halt and reverse biodiversity loss.

Without transparent sharing of fishing vessel information and good governance, it will be difficult to accurately measure the ocean’s health and our progress towards both the Sustainable Development Goals and conservation targets.

Transparency is essential to put a stop to illegal fishing and human rights abuses at sea, protect the ocean and ensure sustainable management. It must remain at the forefront of global fisheries governance.

A binding agreement on vessel tracking, as well as the publication of ultimate beneficial owners of industrial fishing vessels, is an important step to shining a light on both the fishing taking place at sea and who is benefiting.

Every fishing community depends on our ability to see and manage what happens in our waters.

Ghana, along with South Korea and Cameroon, is now leading the way through the Charter for Fisheries Transparency, committing to principles that will help us to rebuild fish populations, eliminate illegal practices and ensure coastal communities are safeguarded.

However, we cannot protect the seas on our own. At UNOC3, we need to see more commitments that demonstrate how countries will deliver transparency at sea. 

Governments must raise their ambition to secure effective ocean governance and join us in endorsing the Charter for Fisheries Transparency.

The question now is: who will be next?