In the context of the on-going national reform of the fisheries law framework, the Environmental Justice Foundation, Hen Mpoano and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization organised a roundtable to address the challenges faced by Ghana's small-scale fisheries sector. The report summarises the discussions on how the implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security in Ghana will help promote and maintain responsible governance of tenure of fisheries resources.

Worldwide, climate change is destroying livelihoods, infrastructure and communities, forcing people from their homes, towns and even countries. Since 2008, weather-related hazards have displaced an average of 21.7 million people each year. It is very often the poorest and most vulnerable who are at the highest risk of climate displacement; Bangladesh is on the frontline of such impacts.

Ghana is currently undergoing a review of its national fisheries law framework, and small-scale fishers, fish traders and processors – represented by the Ghana National Canoe Fishermen Council and the National Fish Processors and Traders Association – presented a ten-point communiqué to the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development.

More than 200 villages along Ghana’s coastline rely on fisheries as their primary source of income. However, Ghana's small pelagic fishery, crucial for food security and livelihoods, is on the brink of collapse following decades of over-exploitation. The illegal practice of 'saiko' fishing - the transhipment of fish at sea from industrial trawlers to local canoes - has had a particularly destructive impact on Ghana’s small pelagic fisheries. This briefing looks at the scale of the practice and its impacts on livelihoods, food security and sustainability.

Since February 2016, EJF has observed improvements in inspection procedures, adoption of a risk-based approach to vessel inspections, and the proliferation of translators at PIPO centres. This briefing presents the issues that remain and recommendations to address them.

This briefing details the EJF investigation which uncovered shockingly cruel and illegal practices on Taiwanese fishing vessels, including harpooning dolphins, finning and discarding tens of thousands of sharks, and catching vulnerable species of sea turtles and hammerheads. Nor were the vessels free of the same human rights abuses previous EJF investigations have revealed in the fleet.

Between January and December 2018, EJF used DNA testing to determine levels of seafood fraud in the Republic of Korea. The results showed that over a third of samples tested were mislabelled. This mislabelling defrauds consumers, risks public health, harms the marine environment and can be associated with serious human rights abuses across the world. These findings demonstrate the urgent need for greater transparency and traceability in Korean seafood.

The Government of Ghana has committed to rebuilding the nation’s fisheries through key measures set out in the 2015-2019 Fisheries Management Plan. The national fisheries law framework is also undergoing a revision to ensure emerging challenges are addressed and to bring Ghana’s laws into line with international standards. This process offers a crucial opportunity to ensure principles of sustainable management and good governance are enshrined within Ghana’s fisheries laws and future policies. 

A new international agreement on migration – the UN Global Compact on Migration – is set to be adopted in autumn 2018. It covers a range of issues, from the drivers of migration to access to social services, and offers a chance to improve the governance of migration. However, as a soft-power tool that does not place any binding obligations on states, it cannot replace the unambiguous, legally binding agreement to protect climate refugees that EJF is calling for. 

EJF is encouraged by the reforms made in Thailand to date, however we have documented continuing gaps and shortcomings that are inhibiting Thailand’s fishing industry from developing into a truly ethical and sustainable sector. In order to achieve this goal - mutually shared by the RTG and EJF - there are several substantive structural steps that must now be taken to ensure the positive progress made so far can be sustained into the future.

Investigations by EJF into the related problems of human trafficking and illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in Taiwan’s massive distant water fishing fleet has revealed worrying findings. This briefing details the structural shortcomings in Taiwan’s management of its deep water fleet that allow human trafficking and human rights abuses to persist. 

Ten years after the adoption of the EU IUU Regulation, this new report by EJF, Oceana, The Pew Charitable Trusts and WWF examines how the EU’s carding system has impacted the flow of seafood products into and within the EU.

It is the first detailed analysis to show that shifts in seafood import flows have occurred since 2010 that appear directly related to the IUU Regulation. The report focuses on ‘high risk’ trade flows to the EU, in terms of the likelihood that products were caught in contravention of applicable fisheries rules.

Contrary to previous analyses, the report shows that weaknesses in member state import controls and uneven standards could be providing a route for non-compliant products to enter the EU market.