Films
Illegal bottom trawling in the Mediterranean: A threat to marine life and livelihoods in Tunisia
Kiss trawling - a form of illegal bottom trawling - is devastating the marine ecosystems in the Gulf of Gabès in Tunisia and the livelihoods of local fishers who depend on them. This film explains why it must be ended, swiftly and fairly.
Together we are strong: Liberia's fishmongers building fairer fisheries
“Together we are strong” follows the election runs of three women in Liberia as they campaign for leadership positions in the Buchanan CMA. Shoulder to shoulder with their fellow VSLA members, these women are speaking up, determined to have a say in how the resources that underpin their livelihoods are managed.
Towards the abyss: How the rush to deep-sea mining threatens people and our planet
The deep sea remains a pristine ecosystem, largely untouched by human activity. But deep-sea mining, which could be allowed to start as early as July 2023 threatens to significantly disturb the delicate environment of the deep sea, with devastating consequences for life on earth.
Webinar: "Deep-sea mining: A new industry threatens our ocean"
A new industry is threatening our ocean: Deep-sea mining risks destroying fragile marine ecosystems, precious habitats and undiscovered species, with potentially devastating consequences for our planet’s health, local and indigenous communities, and future generations.
Hidden by murky governance and conflicts of interest, we cannot let companies strip mine the seabed against the opposition of people, scientists, governments and many of the companies they claim they would be providing for. We urgently need to stop deep-sea mining before it has even started.
Recording of the 147th episode of Europe Calling in cooperation with the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) with:
- Steffi Lemke, German Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection
- Steven Trent, Executive Director and Founder of the Environmental Justice Foundation
- Dr Lisa Levin, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, San Diego, USA, one of the world's leading experts on the deep seafloor
- Claudia Becker, Senior Expert Sustainable Supply Chain Management at the car manufacturer BMW
- Franziska Brantner, Parliamentary State Secretary at the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection
Ocean Defenders: capturing evidence to crack down on illegal fishing in Senegalese waters
Deadly bargain: Western markets and violence against Indigenous people
Pantanal on offer: Global markets and the destruction of the largest tropical wetland on the planet
On the Precipice: crime and corruption in Ghana's Chinese-owned trawler fleet
Fisheries that millions of Ghanaians depend on are at risk of collapse as a result of brazen illegal fishing, catastrophic overfishing by Chinese-owned industrial trawlers and a culture of corruption which has allowed these crimes to go unpunished.
EJF’s investigation draws on evidence from interviews with Ghanaian crew who have witnessed these abuses first-hand, filmed evidence, a network of informants and analysis of vessel tracking data. The picture which emerges is one of systematic corruption that enables illegal fishing and human rights abuses to go unreported and unpunished in the country’s waters. From port authorities to Navy officials, EJF alleges that the web of corruption is so deep and entangled that sustainability, and the defence of human rights, is impossible without reform.
Reports
Unseen and unaccountable: The growing threat of China’s squid fleet in the South Pacific: This report exposes the alarming environmental and human rights toll of China’s distant-water squid fleet in the Southeast Pacific. It draws on investigations that reveal widespread shark finning, marine mammal capture, abusive labour practices, and the unloading of deceased crew into Latin American ports. The report also highlights major governance failures: despite early warnings of a decline in the squid population, and calls for urgent reforms to end IUU fishing and forced labour in the world’s most important squid fishery. Watch the webinar where we discuss the findings of this report with experts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4r0CjrHha2E
This report exposes the alarming environmental and human rights toll of China’s distant-water squid fleet in the Southeast Pacific. It draws on investigations that reveal widespread shark finning, marine mammal capture, abusive labour practices, and the unloading of deceased crew into Latin American ports. The report also highlights major governance failures: despite early warnings of a decline in the squid population, and calls for urgent reforms to end IUU fishing and forced labour in the world’s most important squid fishery.
Watch the webinar where we discuss the findings of this report with experts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
Letter to Commissioner Kadis: Staying your course on combating IUU fishing by delivering digital and dissuasive fisheries control: This letter urges European Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans Costas Kadis to stick to his commitments to focus on the “gradual but timely and full implementation of the revised fisheries control system”, which includes CATCH and the Fisheries Control Regulation, to deliver on Europe’s zero-tolerance to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.
This letter urges European Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans Costas Kadis to stick to his commitments to focus on the “gradual but timely and full implementation of the revised fisheries control system”, which includes CATCH and the Fisheries Control Regulation, to deliver on Europe’s zero-tolerance to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.
Parliamentary letter on UK's seafood imports: In this letter to Emma Reynolds MP (Secretary of State at the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) and Dame Angela Eagle MP (Minister for Fisheries), over 40 parliamentarians express their alarm at the ongoing failure to adequately scrutinise the UK’s seafood imports and the risk this poses to consumers, fishers and the marine environment. They urge the environment and fisheries ministers to take action to strengthen the UK’s import control system, to prevent the country from becoming a dumping ground for illegal and slave-caught seafood.
In this letter to Emma Reynolds MP (Secretary of State at the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) and Dame Angela Eagle MP (Minister for Fisheries), over 40 parliamentarians express their alarm at the ongoing failure to adequately scrutinise the UK’s seafood imports and the risk this poses to consumers, fishers and the marine environment. They urge the environment and fisheries ministers to take action to strengthen the UK’s import control system, to prevent the country from becoming a dumping ground for illegal and slave-caught seafood.
Breaking the vicious circle: How the trade in illegal bycatch from Ghana’s industrial trawl fleet is imperilling the sustainability of artisanal fisheries: Populations of small pelagic fish traditionally caught by artisanal fishers in Ghanaian waters are severely overfished and in a state of collapse. The alarming state of Ghana’s small pelagic fisheries results in part from persistent illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing by the largely foreign-owned industrial trawl fleet. The use of illegal fishing gear by trawlers results in large volumes of bycatch, known locally as logo fish - juvenile and undersized fish which are either discarded or sold to coastal communities for profit. Urgent action is needed to break this vicious circle and ensure a more sustainable and equitable future for Ghana’s fisheries.
Populations of small pelagic fish traditionally harvested by artisanal fishers in Ghanaian waters are severely overfished and in a state of collapse. The alarming state of Ghana’s small pelagic fisheries results in part from persistent illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing by the largely foreign-owned industrial trawl fleet. The use of illegal fishing gear by trawlers results in large volumes of bycatch, known locally as logo fish - juvenile and undersized fish which are either discarded or sold to coastal communities for profit.
Urgent action is needed to break this vicious circle and ensure a more sustainable and equitable future for Ghana’s fisheries.
Eyes on the water: Tackling illegal fishing and human rights abuses through the use of onboard CCTV cameras: Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) and unsustainable fishing places immense pressure on the world’s oceans. These destructive practices go hand in hand with human rights violations and labour abuses. A major challenge in effectively tackling these issues is that much of this harmful activity occurs in the middle of the ocean, where it is easier to avoid detection. The findings of this report show that the adoption of fleet-wide CCTV, as a key tool within broader monitoring, control and surveillance systems, has massive potential to enhance transparency, tackle IUU fishing, and address human rights abuses at sea.
Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) and unsustainable fishing places immense pressure on the world’s oceans. These destructive practices go hand in hand with human rights violations and labour abuses. A major challenge in effectively tackling these issues is that much of this harmful activity occurs in the middle of the ocean, where it is easier to avoid detection.
The findings of this report show that the adoption of fleet-wide CCTV, as a key tool within broader monitoring, control and surveillance systems, has massive potential to enhance transparency, tackle IUU fishing, and address human rights abuses at sea.
Lifting the veil: Evaluating transparency in Ghana's fisheries sector: Illegal fishing and overfishing risk the collapse of Ghana’s fish populations, directly undermining the most basic human rights of coastal communities, and costing the country millions of dollars every year. Greater transparency is needed to achieve sustainable, legal, and ethical fisheries. This analysis aims to inform and guide this action, and to assist Ghana in moving from commitment to the Global Charter to full implementation, ensuring that the benefits of transparency are secured for the many Ghanaians who depend on fisheries resources for their livelihoods.
Illegal fishing and overfishing risk the collapse of Ghana’s fish populations, directly undermining the most basic human rights of coastal communities, and costing the country millions of dollars every year. Greater transparency is needed to achieve sustainable, legal, and ethical fisheries.
This analysis aims to inform and guide this action, and to assist Ghana in moving from commitment to the Global Charter to full implementation, ensuring that the benefits of transparency are secured for the many Ghanaians who depend on fisheries resources for their livelihoods.