Tackling Scarcity and Building Security: A Response to IUU Fishing

Jul 14, 2022 | Johan Bergenas
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Healthy coastal ecosystems support peaceful and well-functioning societies. They feed      billions of people, support hundreds of millions of jobs, and provide security to communities at risk from climate change and natural disasters. But today’s oceans are far from healthy. Two-thirds of our oceans have already been significantly altered by human activity. Over 90% of the world’s fisheries have been pushed to (or beyond) their biological limits.

Last month, as global leaders met in Lisbon for the UN Oceans Conference, President Biden signed a National Security Memorandum to address the challenge of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. 

Marine resource scarcity will increasingly breed violence between communities and countries, especially as global populations grow ever more dependent on fish. 

When it comes to curbing IUU fishing and associated conflict, knowing where and when it will boil over is half the battle. There is no path to arresting IUU fishing that doesn’t address the issue of our unhealthy oceans and declining fish stocks. To that end, nations have an opportunity to join the 30×30 movement and commit to conserving and sustainably managing 30 percent of their marine areas by 2030.