In an historic move, the United States and European Union have joined forces to end pirate fishing.
In a joint letter, U.S. Undersecretary of Commerce for Oceans Jane Lubchenco and EU Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Maria Damanaki estimated that up to USD 23 billion in income for fishermen is lost to illegal fishing annually. Since 3 billion people worldwide depend on seafood as their primary source of protein, illegal fishing has food security and humanitarian consequences as well.
“Only by working together can we successfully combat illegal fishing,” said Damanaki and Lubchenco. “Because fish and other ocean wildlife do not stay within national boundaries, international cooperation is essential to the long-term health of the world’s oceans and sustainability of fisheries and fishing jobs. The U.S. and Europe have a global responsibility as two of the largest importers of fish. We must take responsibility to make sure the fish we import is caught sustainably so that our markets do not fuel the decline of the oceans and the fishermen and fishing communities that depend on them, especially those in the poorest countries.
“The United States, Europe and other countries such as Japan, have taken significant legal steps to address illegal fishing. We are starting to identify illegal fishing vessels and bar them from our ports. Countries are taking measures to track and document fish imports. This week, we commit the United States and the European Union to combat illegal fishing, to strengthen our monitoring and enforcement of management measures in our role as parties to regional fishery management organizations and to various international treaties. We pledge to prevent illegal fishermen from benefiting from their piracy.
“What is at stake are millions of jobs that depend on healthy oceans. What is at stake is food security for many parts of the world. What is at stake is the long-term health of the world’s oceans. As allies, the U.S and Europe are taking a major step forward to end pirate fishing.”
