Activists: Fishing Regulators Need More Transparency
2023-04-19
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1Environmental groups and fishing interests are criticizing regional organizations set up by the United Nations to supervise fishing activities around the world.
2The groups say the U.N. bodies need to be clearer and more open about what they are doing.
3There are about 50 fisheries management organizations around the world.
4They bring together local fishers, coastal states, and big international fishers.
5They help regulate fishing rights for companies and countries in a way that is meant to conserve populations of fish and other ocean animals.
6For years, these regulators have been accused of undemocratic practices that favor big, industrial fishers.
7Now several conservation groups are calling for a change.
8Groups like the Ocean Foundation and the Global Tuna Alliance have supported more openness about the fisheries organizations' decisions.
9They say more openness will permit more members of the public to take part in conservation efforts.
10The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) oversees fisheries management organizations.
11The FAO said it supports more openness in fisheries.
12But for local and small fishers who depend on well-managed fish populations, it's unclear if more open measures will help.
13Kassim Abdalla is a fisherman on Kenya's coast.
14He is part of a cooperative group of fishers.
15"I only hear of meetings on fisheries, but I have no idea what it is they discuss there. I have never been invited," he said.
16He added that he cannot compete with large fisheries from developed nations.
17The concern among environmentalists and small fishers is that large fishing boats can do things that are not possible for smaller boats.
18Their activities take fish supplies from fishers who must stay close to the coast.
19If there are no fish close to the coast, smaller fishers must take their boats farther out to sea, which is more dangerous.
20Many industrial fishing boats use a method called purse seining.
21Fredric Manach said this method uses two-kilometer-long nets that surround whole schools of fish.
22Manach is a marine scientist with the ocean conservation group Bloom.
23Purse seining makes it difficult to protect fish populations, he said.
24The European Union is closely involved in eight regional fisheries management organizations worldwide.
25The EU has been accused of using methods like purse seining.
26Critics also say the EU pressures coastal states to get better access to regional fishery management organizations.
27The EU Commission denied the claims.
28It said it is not suppressing developing countries for more favorable access.
29It also said that it would ban purse seining if science supported a ban.
30But "it is essential that science is the backbone" of decision-making, EU officials said.
31Manach said the regulatory bodies need to be more open about how they set fishing limits for countries and groups.
32"There is absolutely no transparency" surrounding how limits are set and who gets them, he said.
33Last month, the U.N. high seas treaty was finally approved.
34The treaty will create a new body to manage conservation of ocean life and establish protected areas in the world's oceans.
35The hope for conservation groups is that fishery bodies involve small fishers in the discussions.
36Ryan Orgera is with Accountability.Fish, a non-profit group based in Brussels.
37He said the most important thing is transparency.
38He said more openness can make sure that "societies have access to what happens to our collective resources."
39I'm Dan Novak.
1Environmental groups and fishing interests are criticizing regional organizations set up by the United Nations to supervise fishing activities around the world. 2The groups say the U.N. bodies need to be clearer and more open about what they are doing. 3There are about 50 fisheries management organizations around the world. They bring together local fishers, coastal states, and big international fishers. They help regulate fishing rights for companies and countries in a way that is meant to conserve populations of fish and other ocean animals. 4For years, these regulators have been accused of undemocratic practices that favor big, industrial fishers. Now several conservation groups are calling for a change. 5Groups like the Ocean Foundation and the Global Tuna Alliance have supported more openness about the fisheries organizations' decisions. They say more openness will permit more members of the public to take part in conservation efforts. 6The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) oversees fisheries management organizations. The FAO said it supports more openness in fisheries. But for local and small fishers who depend on well-managed fish populations, it's unclear if more open measures will help. 7Kassim Abdalla is a fisherman on Kenya's coast. He is part of a cooperative group of fishers. 8"I only hear of meetings on fisheries, but I have no idea what it is they discuss there. I have never been invited," he said. He added that he cannot compete with large fisheries from developed nations. 9The concern among environmentalists and small fishers is that large fishing boats can do things that are not possible for smaller boats. Their activities take fish supplies from fishers who must stay close to the coast. If there are no fish close to the coast, smaller fishers must take their boats farther out to sea, which is more dangerous. 10Many industrial fishing boats use a method called purse seining. Fredric Manach said this method uses two-kilometer-long nets that surround whole schools of fish. Manach is a marine scientist with the ocean conservation group Bloom. Purse seining makes it difficult to protect fish populations, he said. 11The European Union is closely involved in eight regional fisheries management organizations worldwide. The EU has been accused of using methods like purse seining. Critics also say the EU pressures coastal states to get better access to regional fishery management organizations. 12The EU Commission denied the claims. It said it is not suppressing developing countries for more favorable access. It also said that it would ban purse seining if science supported a ban. But "it is essential that science is the backbone" of decision-making, EU officials said. 13Manach said the regulatory bodies need to be more open about how they set fishing limits for countries and groups. "There is absolutely no transparency" surrounding how limits are set and who gets them, he said. 14Last month, the U.N. high seas treaty was finally approved. The treaty will create a new body to manage conservation of ocean life and establish protected areas in the world's oceans. 15The hope for conservation groups is that fishery bodies involve small fishers in the discussions. 16Ryan Orgera is with Accountability.Fish, a non-profit group based in Brussels. He said the most important thing is transparency. 17He said more openness can make sure that "societies have access to what happens to our collective resources." 18I'm Dan Novak. 19Dan Novak adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on reporting by The Associated Press. 20______________________________________________________________________ 21Words in This Story 22management -m. the activity of controlling business operations of a company, office or organization 23region - n. an area of a country or the world that is different from others 24regulate - v. to make rules or laws to control an activity or industry 25conserve - v. to keep something safe from damage or destruction 26access - n. the ability to use or take part in an activity or resource 27net -n. a device made of rope or line that is used to catch fish 28backbone - n. the most important or strongest part of something 29transparent - adj. the quality of not hiding but making clear what people mean to do 30society - n. a large number of people living in a country who have an organized community that observes laws