Transparency is particularly important for sustainability in fisheries. Until now, the international fisheries sector has been rather opaque. This makes it difficult, for example, to calculate how many fish still live in certain areas. With a total of 12 standards, the multi-stakeholder partnership Fisheries Transparency Initiative is trying to improve this. These include comprehensive reporting structures and the registration of large fishing vessels.
Countries can voluntarily work towards meeting the FiTI standards. Seychelles is currently doing this. Since 2016, the island nation, where fishing is one of the most important economic sectors, has been committed to the FiTI standards.
These efforts are being rewarded. FiTI recently analyzed the implementation of the standards in Seychelles. It found that great progress has been made and most of the requirements have been met. For example, large amounts of data concerning fisheries have been published for public access.
At the same time, however, some suggestions for improvement were made. If Seychelles continues to be this successful in meeting the standards and implements further improvements, it will be classified as a “Compliant Country” by FiTI. This will ensure sustainable practices in the longer term.
Established in 2015, the Fisheries Transparency Initiative sets standards for sustainable fisheries. Countries can voluntarily seek to implement them. The MSP is carried by stakeholders from industry, civil society and politics.
