Appeal to G20 governments to end IUU fishing through the PSMA
Members of the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy together with the Seafood Business for Ocean Stewardship appealed to G20 governments to close the net on IUU fishing by becoming Parties to the 2009 FAO Agreement on Port State Measures (PSMA).
The High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy is made up of 15 Heads of State and the United Nations’ Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Ocean.
The appeal was reflected in a letter published in the Financial Times today, signed by Erna Solberg, Prime Minister of Norway, Co-Chair of the High-Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy and Member of the Friends of Ocean Action, and Shigeru Ito, Chairman, Seafood Business for Ocean Stewardship (SeaBOS) Initiative, and Chief Executive Officer and President, Maruha Nichiro Corporation Japan.
The letter describes the PSMA as “a powerful platform for governments and policymakers to help combat” the threat of IUU fishing, describing the Agreement as “an international treaty, in line with key targets of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, to keep illegal fish out of ports”.
The letter concludes by saying that “eighty-six countries have now signed up. We need G20 countries and all important flag and port states to join them and implement this agreement”.