April 13, 2022
Oceana Board Member and Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Environment Program lead Antha Williams announces new coalition for fisheries transparency at Our Ocean
In the opening address of a headline event at Our Ocean Conference in Palau, “The Role of Transparency in Addressing IUU Fishing and Human Rights Abuses,” Oceana Board Member Antha Williams announced that Bloomberg Philanthropies, in partnership with Oceans 5, has committed new funding to develop and grow the first global coalition of advocates dedicated to bringing transparency to the governance of the world’s oceans.
In countries around the world, civil society has helped deliver increases in seafood labeling, public vessel tracking, and the release of information on licenses, quotas, and enforcement actions; this coalition will catalyze even greater impact.
“The Coalition for Fisheries Transparency will be the platform and global voice of the many NGOs now working to strategize and harmonize efforts to take transparency to the next level,” Williams said. “Beginning in key target countries and organized around a set of to-be-developed policy principles, this coalition will build an inclusive international community among global transparency leaders, sharing intelligence and resources, and helping secure new support where gaps are identified. We are excited to support this effort to elevate and advance fishing transparency at a global scale.”
Oceana and the Environmental Justice Foundation will be co-leading this new coalition, in partnership with other NGOs and stakeholders dedicated to expanding solutions to reduce illegal fishing and human rights abuses at sea.
Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Vibrant Ocean Initiative partners with and supports Oceana’s work around the globe to restore the ocean and improve the lives of the billions of people that depend on it. Bloomberg is also helping to support the Our Ocean Conference, which serves as a launchpad for building a broad-based coalition of governments, civil society, and fishing industry to increase transparency and accountability, give stakeholders an informed voice in fisheries management, and stop IUU fishing and human rights abuses at sea.
For organizations and government officials interested in the newly announced coalition for fisheries transparency, please contact Maisie Pigeon at mpigeon@oceana.org.