February 12, 2013 — The former UK foreign secretary David Milliband will co-chair a new initiative to address over-fishing across the world.
The Global Ocean Commission will start work this week and give advice to the United Nations on fixing the problems.
Milliband’s co-chairs will be former Costa Rican president Jose Maria Figueres and Trevor Manuel, a minister in the South African cabinet in charge of planning.
The commission will include ex-cabinet ministers from fishing nations such as Chile, Australia, Indonesia, Canada and Nigeria, as well as business leaders and Pascal Lamy, head of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). It will produce advice in 2014.
The Global Ocean Commission originated as an initiative of the Pew Environment Group, in partnership with Somerville College at the University of Oxford, Adessium Foundation and Oceans 5. While supported by those organizations, and hosted by Somerville College, it is independent of all.
Over-fishing and environmental mismanagement has cost the world economy $50 billion a year and about three-quarters of world fish stocks are over-fished or fished to the maximum, according to World Bank and UN data.