November 6, 2013 — The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Tuesday hailed a multi-partner project focused on improving global sustainable tuna fisheries by reducing illegal catch and supporting biodiversity in the common oceans.
“High-seas fisheries support the food security and livelihoods of millions of people worldwide,” Árni M. Mathiesen, FAO Assistant Director-General for Fisheries and Aquaculture said in a statement announcing that Global Environment Facility (GEF) CEO Naoko Ishii has approved a project coordinated by FAO to boost the sustainability of tuna fisheries worldwide.
According to FAO, around one third of the world’s seven major tuna species are currently overexploited. Given continued strong consumer demand and the overcapacity of fishing fleets, the status of tuna stocks is likely to deteriorate further if fisheries management is not improved.
“Through collective action at all levels and broad cooperation that optimizes the use of scarce resources, this project – and the wider Common Oceans initiative – will help move the world away from ‘the race to fish’ and towards implementation of an ecosystem approach,” said Mathiesen, stressing that it is vital to ensure the future well-being and productivity of these crucial marine ecosystems.
“Early successes will create incentives for donors and agencies to further invest in these types of catalytic projects.” he added.