Working together for healthy oceans

Oceans and sustainable fisheries play a crucial role for food security and nutrition and income generation in Small Island Developing States, said the Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture of the Republic of Maldives Mohamed Shainee, at a UN General Assembly side event on securing a future for oceans, co-hosted by Maldives, Palau and Norway.

Fisheries and aquaculture support the livelihoods of about 10 percent of the world’s population, and provide over 3 billion people with 20 percent of their daily animal protein intake.

The Minister of State of Palau, Faustina Rehuher-Marugg, emphasized the importance of involving local communities and to building on traditional knowledge to ensure sustainable fisheries and the conservation of marine resources. The Minister also thanked FAO for recently supporting the implementation of the Agreement on Port State Measures against IUU Fishing, that entered into force in 2016.

The State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway, Tone Skogen, reaffirmed the Norwegian commitment to healthy oceans and promoting sustainable fisheries and invited partners to join the Global Action Network for Sustainable Food from the Ocean for Food Security and Nutrition, a commitment made under the Decade of Action on Nutrition and launched at the Ocean Conference in June. Skogen also highlighted the Nansen Program, a partnership between Norway and FAO that, since 1974, support the implementation of the ecosystem approach in the management of marine fisheries, the sustainable utilization of marine living resources and improved protection of the marine environment.

At the event, FAO highlighted that cooperation through regional fisheries bodies plays a central role in levering sustainable fisheries and conserving marine resources.

"Regional fisheries management organization are the primary mechanism for fishing nations to cooperate in the effective management of high seas fisheries. States and RFMOs implement around 20 international instruments and 8 regional conventions that address deep sea fishing and biodiversity conservation in areas beyond national jurisdiction," said FAO Senior Liaison Officer, Lucas Tavares.

FAO reaffirmed that Illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing remains one of the greatest threats to the sustainable management of fisheries resources and to the conservation of marine biodiversity and ecosystems. FAO also called on partners to implement the Global Action Programme for Food Security and Nutrition in SIDS.