Saving Seafood

FiTI report finds large gaps in China’s publicly available fishery data

August 20, 2024 — The transparency of Chinese government data on its fishery sector has come under scrutiny in a new report from the Fisheries Transparency Initiative (FiTI), a Seychelles-based nonprofit that aims to strengthen transparency and collaboration in global marine fisheries management.

FiTI is a global multi-stakeholder partnership that monitors the extent to which various governments publish fisheries information online. The organization receives funding through grants from the World Bank, the aid arms of the German and Irish governments, and through philanthropy. The initiative’s biggest funder is the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, a U.S. conservation charity.

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Fisheries Transparency Initiative accepting nominations for board members

July 29, 2021 — The Fisheries Transparency Initiative (FiTI), a collaborative effort among different seafood stakeholders from governments, business, and civil society, is expanding its membership and is looking for seven new international board members.

Membership in the Fisheries Transparency Initiative is open to any individual nominated by an entity from the government, business, or social sector interested in enhancing transparency and multi-stakeholder participation in fisheries, good ocean governance, or wider areas of open government and access to information.

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FiTI’s Sven Biermann sees transparency as solution to IUU problems

June 25, 2021 — The first country report on fisheries management transparency under the Fisheries Transparency Initiative (FiTI) was published in April by the Seychelles, followed by Mauritania’s first report in May. Compiled to the FiTI Standard, the reports offer information on fishery access agreements, as well as other data clarifying the true state of fisheries in a particular country.

FiTI was established in 2017 with the mission of improving the sustainability of global fisheries by increasing transparency in government management of stocks. FiTI is funded by donors and subscriptions from member countries. FiTI Executive Director Sven Biermann spoke with SeafoodSource about the initiative and its progress.

SeafoodSource: Why is the publication of the FiTI country report on the Seychelles important?

Biermann: The first report provides a global model and shows that it can be done. Transparency is sometimes difficult to sell. So other countries that have doubts will see this leading example and hopefully follow. The report raises the profile of the fishery sector in the country. A lot of small-island developing states depend on tourism. The FiTI report shows the importance of fisheries, not just from an economic point of view, but also for employment, the role of women, food, and nutrition. Thus, it demonstrates the crucial importance of fisheries for well-being, and this is often not appreciated.

Read the full story at Seafood Source