When the United Nations launched the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) five years ago, the world aligned around the need to end illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing by 2020 (SDG 14.4). Seen then as an achievable target, it is now a deadline we’re going to miss.

IUU fishing accounts for nearly 20 percent of the world catch; up to 50 percent in some areas, with poorer coastal states disproportionately affected. In the Pacific Ocean, a report estimated 24 percent of the fish are unreported and illegally traded in international markets. This directly leads to $4.3 billion to $8.3 billion of loss in gross revenues every year to the formal economy, and up to $21 billion per year across the fish value chain. In addition, destructive fishing methods and deceptive practices are being used to reap profits at the expense of local fisheries, coastal states and the marine environment. In some cases, IUU fishers are associated with crimes including drugs, weapons and human rights abuses.

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Posted on - 2020-03-03

The IMO’s 7th Intersessional Working Group on Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships, which takes place in a few weeks, includes a paper from the European Commission discussing whether maritime emissions should be measured from ‘tank-to-wake’ or from ‘well-to-wake’.

The EU argues that by taking into account emissions related to the production cycle of fuels, a well-to-wake approach could enable a more complete picture of the environmental performance of alternative fuels.

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Posted on - 2020-03-02

Reducing ship speeds by 10-15% could effectively reduce maritime emissions by around 20-30% and help meet the International Maritime Organization’s target of halving emissions by 2050, maritime specialist Pierre Cariou has suggested.

Posted on - 2020-03-02