The EU IUU Fishing Coalition (the Environmental Justice Foundation, Oceana, The Nature Conservancy, The Pew Charitable Trusts and WWF) has submitted a joint written contribution to the discussions on fish trade, as part of the broader agenda of the 35th meeting of the FAO’s Committee on Fisheries that is taking place in Rome on 5-9 September.
The Coalition calls on the FAO, WTO and their Members to reinforce their commitment to eliminate subsidies harmful to nature and biodiversity, expedite the acceptance of the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies and support its implementation as well as support the ongoing negotiations to strengthen it further
In addition, the Coalition stresses how Catch Documentation Schemes (CDS) can be an effective way to support States to deter and eliminate IUU fishing and prevent illegal products from entering supply chains and reaching the consumer. The Coalition notes progress made by stakeholder initiatives, such as NGO and industry-developed key data elements for CDS which, broadly agree on what is required for successful CDS. The EU IUU Fishing Coalition calls on States to work together in strengthening such schemes.
You can read the full statement here