The arrival of the Fisheries Transparency Initiative in Latin America and its importance for Mexico

The Fisheries Transparency Initiative in Mexico (FiTI) is a global initiative that seeks to increase transparency and participation in fisheries governance to achieve a more sustainable management of marine fisheries (1). To this end, it encourages member countries to gradually adopt the FiTI Standard, a set of information requirements on fisheries matters that include, among others, fishing policy laws and regulations, fishing rights, state of fisheries, registration of small and large scale vessels, catch and discard amounts, trade, subsidies, labor standards and strategies for law enforcement (1).

And... why is it important to make this information transparent?

First of all, because without basic information on how much and what species are being fished? , what is the state of the most exploited fisheries? , who is fishing and how many boats and fishermen are there in the sea? , it is not possible to establish an effective ordering of the activity. In other words, the quantity of fish that is extracted from the sea cannot be adequately regulated to the point where it can be guaranteed to be replenished and fishing can be made sustainable over time.

Second, fisheries transparency is an ally in combating Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing, as well as the corruption that encourages this type of activity. It has been widely documented that IUU fishing is one of the main threats to sustainable fishing because it acts without respect for limits, exploits vulnerable populations, damages marine ecosystems, and represents a disadvantage for fishermen who act responsibly within the framework of the law (2). Corruption, on the other hand, is a phenomenon that reinforces illegality throughout the value chain of the fishing industry. It happens when public officials deliberately ignore and even facilitate illegal activities in exchange for their own benefit (3). In both cases, shedding light on the processes of granting permits, accessing, capturing and distributing fishery resources makes it possible to identify areas susceptible to illegality and corruption.

Finally, transparency in the fishing sector promotes public debate so that we can all promote the adoption of equitable, just and environmentally viable public policies. On issues that have been highly controversial, such as energy subsidies, transparency makes it easier to understand who have been the final beneficiaries? , what has been the environmental, social and environmental impact of implementing them? , and in this way, to have solid information to help discourage measures that have had undesirable results.

In general terms, the lack of up-to-date, complete and accessible information makes it difficult to understand the major problems affecting fishing and to successfully implement any strategy aimed at sustainable development of the sector.

In this context, the objective of FiTI is to promote fisheries transparency around the world. Although its most important presence has been developed in Africa, it has recently initiated dissemination and discussion activities in Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico and Peru, thus expanding its area of influence in our continent and its recognition at the global level (see map).