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Collaboration at work: Eliminating irresponsible fishing

GEF/UNDP/PEMSEA ATSEA-2

By IW:LEARN

June 6^th, 2023

Collaboration is crucial in responding to the urgent need to protect our oceans and to eliminate destructive fishing practices.

The Arafura and Timor Seas (ATS) region is home to a diverse range of marine life and valuable fisheries resources that provide livelihoods to coastal communities and regional food security.

IUU fishing include activities such as illegal harvesting, unreported catches, and the use of destructive fishing methods. These put important marine resources at risk.

IUU fishing has broader impacts on the environment and socio-economic aspects of the ATS region. It contributes to the degradation of marine ecosystems, threatens biodiversity, and undermines the resilience of coastal communities that are dependent on fisheries.

The shared and overlapping nature of maritime boundaries and marine resources among neighboring countries add another layer of challenges in fisheries management and enforcement in the region.

Immediate and effective measures and action are needed to prevent further depletion of fish stocks and protect the long-term sustainability of fisheries in the region.

Collaboration at work: Eliminating irresponsible fishing

Responding to challenges with strong collaboration

In response, the Arafura and Timor Seas Ecosystem Action Phase II (ATSEA-2) project and the Regional Plan of Action to promote responsible fishing practices, including combating IUU fishing in the region (RPOA-IUU) are working to fight against IUU fishing in the region, which covers the South China Sea, Sulu-Sulawesi Seas, and Arafura-Timor Seas.

The RPOA-IUU and the ATSEA-2 Project has been in a longstanding partnership in enhancing information-sharing in the region and bolstering capacity in monitoring, control, and surveillance (MCS) of illegal fishing.

The RPOA-IUU framework identifies effective information-sharing and MCS capacity building as both essential and critical to combatting IUU fishing.

This includes goodwill, networking, tangible benefits, precise terminology, coordination, commitment, cultural considerations and avoiding duplicative efforts as fundamental in fostering meaningful collaboration and collective action against IUU fishing

This joint effort between the RPOA-IUU and the ATSEA-2 Project has proposed for a pragmatic and comprehensive roadmap that will promote effective information-sharing and capacity-building initiatives.

The roadmap looks into concrete examples and successes with demonstrated tangible benefits, as well as into technical context and legal documents and agreements in ensuring efficient management and safeguarding of shared data and information. The road map also aims to align with existing regional initiatives and leverage additional capacity where necessary

The RPOA-IUU and the ATSEA-2 Project collaboration will take this regional effort at the forefront to drive change and foster wider cooperation in combatting IUU fishing in the South China Sea, Sulu-Sulawesi Seas, and Arafura-Timor Seas to support a healthier shared marine environment in the region.

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About the ATSEA-2 Project

ATSEA-2 is the second phase of the Arafura and Timor Seas Ecosystem Action (ATSEA) program; a regional partnership involving the governments of Indonesia, Timor-Leste and Papua New Guinea, with the support of the Australian Government. Its objective is to collectively manage high marine and fisheries resources in the Arafura and Timor Seas (ATS) region. Since its inception in 2019, the program has been working to promote sustainable development in the ATS region and improve the quality of life of its inhabitants through a combination of restoration, conservation and sustainable management of marine-coastal ecosystems.

The ATSEA-2 Project is committed to safeguarding the livelihoods and prosperity of coastal people in the ATS region, particularly in transboundary areas, through the implementation of sustainable integrated concepts. ATSEA-2 is a Global Environment Facility (GEF)-funded program, managed and executed under the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA) Resource Facility (PRF) is an implementing partner.

For more information on the ATSEA-2 Project, please contact the Regional Project Manager, Handoko Adi Susanto (hasusanto@pemsea.org), visit the project page on iwlearn.net or the project website.