At least half of the seafood traded in the world today, if not more considering illegal catches and poaching, comes from wild capture fisheries, much of which remains poorly assessed and regulated. The rapid increase in global reach of supply chains to date has not been matched by equally effective monitoring of product sources, making it difficult to stop unsustainably harvested stocks and endangered species from entering the global market. ... [ view more ]
At least half of the seafood traded in the world today, if not more considering illegal catches and poaching, comes from wild capture fisheries, much of which remains poorly assessed and regulated. The rapid increase in global reach of supply chains to date has not been matched by equally effective monitoring of product sources, making it difficult to stop unsustainably harvested stocks and endangered species from entering the global market. These issues are especially challenging for marine fauna, due to inherent difficulty of tracking activities at sea, insufficient knowledge of global trade pathways, and high potential for product substitution and misnaming.
In order to achieve sustainability and conservation goals, traceability of marine harvest has been recognized as key. Existing national and international trade regulations, however, are still proving insufficient on their own. Innovative digital and molecular tools have opened up new tracking possibilities, while private ecolabeling initiatives might provide social and economic incentives for the industry to implement best practice. At a time of unprecedented biodiversity loss and threat to food security, the IUU harvesting of marine organisms represents a major global problem, which requires interdisciplinary expertise and creative solutions. This symposium will provide a discussion space dissecting the social, economic and governance aspects of the problem and potential corresponding solutions. The aim is a much needed synthesis of strategies towards a transparent, sustainable, and conservation-aware marine resource trade.
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