Fish talk: Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pujiastuti (center) along with International Advisory Group Fisheries Transparency Initiative (FiTI) chairman Peter Eigen (left) attend the group’s conference in Bali on Thursday to discuss sustainable fishing
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A Bali communique on the Fisheries Transparency Initiative (FiTI) was agreed to on Thursday. The communique calls for sustainable fishing practices all over the world in a bid to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.
The communique was agreed to by around 350 participants attending the second International Conference of the Fisheries Transparency Initiative held in Kuta, Bali.
“We reiterate the importance of transparency and participation to manage the marine sector sustainably and to ensure that those resources can continue to provide livelihoods, food security and nutrition to current and future generations,” stated the communique.
Through the communique, the participants established the first global fisheries transparency initiative, which sets out the requirements that countries must adhere to in order to become FiTI compliant countries.
“We welcome the transparency requirements of FiTI standards, providing governments, the fishing industry and civil society with a comprehensive and credible way to achieve and maintain high levels of transparency in the management of the marine fisheries sector and the activities of fishers and fishing companies,” the communique stated.
“We encourage countries from all around the world to join FiTI as part of their efforts to move toward sustainable fisheries management.”
Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti said the communique was important for ensuring better sustainability of marine resources. “Every country could implement this initiative. It will be difficult but I hope what we have shared here gives you spirit and energy,” she said.
“I hope it’s really done by all of us. It is easier when more people are involved together,” the popular minister told the participants.
Susi emphasized that fishing and fisheries industries had to move toward transparent and responsible fishing. “We all see and realize that tuna is getting less and less, as well as other species. Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing still happens everywhere,” she said.
“This has to be a wake up call for all of us,” she claimed.
Indonesia’s statistics show that between 2003 and 2013, fisheries households decreased from 1.6 million to only 800,000. Indonesia also lost 115 seafood exporters.
“In the last decade, Indonesian waters were exploited by more than 10,000 foreign fishing ships that were fishing illegally in our territory,” Susi said.
It is estimated that Indonesia loses almost Rp 300 trillion (US$23 billion) every year due to illegal fishing by foreign vessels.
Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries of Seychelles, Michael Bernstrong, warmly welcomed the outcome of the conference. “We have to continue to keep fishing activities sustainable, to make sure that we have the stock of fish for our generation and the next generation. We should be very concerned about overfishing all over the world,” he said.
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