2.9 billion people—40% of the global population—depend on fish for protein. Yet, two-thirds of global fisheries are either overfished or cannot sustain further pressure. Tuna ranks as one of the most prized and popular fish in the world with five million tons of fish produced annually and a dockside value of $10 billion USD.
Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing activity threatens the health of tuna stocks, ocean wildlife, and the livelihoods of fishing nations and fishers. One in five wild-caught marine fish are landed from IUU fishing. In addition, IUU fishing generates up to $36 billion annually in illegal profits, with untold billions of dollars lost to the global economy in unpaid taxes, customs, license fees, and numerous other pieces of the legal seafood supply chain.
One of the biggest obstacles to sustainably managing global tuna fisheries is the lack of on-the-water data. Fisheries authorities and supply chain actors often lack the data needed to manage fisheries sustainably and to ensure that vessels are complying with fishing regulations, which ultimately helps level the playing field for law-abiding fishers around the globe.
Many technological advances have enabled fishery managers to better understand what is happening on the water, but without independent monitoring on vessels to verify catch activity, it is difficult to identify when IUU activity is occurring in the first mile of the supply chain. In fact, the vast majority of IUU fishing takes place on legally licensed—but unmonitored—vessels. Companies that are unable to verify compliance with environmental and social standards risk losing valuable sources of income, in addition to increasing business risks throughout the supply chain.
100% on-the-water monitoring is the industry future. Reliable data can help retailers and seafood suppliers combat IUU in their supply chains and ensure compliance with environmental and social standards. Increased data on supply chains can also significantly enhance consumer trust in products found on supermarket shelves.
This is why The Nature Conservancy, in collaboration with government and market leaders, has launched the Tuna Transparency Pledge, a global initiative uniting actors throughout the tuna supply chain to deliver 100% on-the-water monitoring on all industrial tuna vessels by 2027. In this session, join industry and government leaders to learn why they are signing onto the Tuna Transparency Pledge and how their commitments will help minimize risk in their supply chains while maximizing consumer confidence in their products. Learn more at nature.org/tunapledge.
