Fisheries blogs
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Scrap devastating fishing subsidies to help save the ocean and climate
15 January 2020The World Trade Organization resumed talks on fishing subsidies this week. Originally, it committed that by the end of 2019 it would prohibit the subsidies that are causing overfishing and damaging the life of the ocean. But despite the urgency, it failed to meet this deadline. This has significant implications for life in the ocean, the health and livelihoods of poor coastal communities in developing countries and climate change
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An indivisible whole: negotiating the fate of the ocean
5 September 2019Critical differences of opinion over how, or even whether, the high seas should be subject to a governance regime led to sluggish progress at times at international negotiations in New York recently. Essam Yassin Mohammed spells out how he thinks things need to change
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New rules for governing high seas must be fair for everyone
20 August 2019As the third session of BBNJ negotiations starts in New York, Essam Yassin Mohammed makes the case for a global ocean treaty that is fair and equitable for everyone
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Achieving transformational change for the ocean
11 June 2019Making progress on Sustainable Development Goal 14 – life below water – is a complex and increasingly urgent challenge. A new handbook offers practical guidance on monitoring, evaluation and learning for SDG14, and emphasises the importance of using systems thinking
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It is time to control fishing on the high seas to protect the life of the ocean and coastal people who depend on it
8 June 2019As the state of the ocean continues to grab headlines, World Oceans Day (8 June) is an opportunity to make sure new measures to govern the high seas include fishing – the greatest threat to life in the deep ocean
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Steering gender to the centre of the blue economy
6 June 2019This year World Oceans Day (8 June) focuses on promoting gender equality in all ocean-related activities. Eugenia Merayo looks at the challenges women face – and says a sustainable blue economy must involve the active representation and participation of both women and men at all levels
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Cooperation vs. competition over shared fish stocks
23 April 2019When fisheries straddle national borders, cooperation between countries to manage their shared resources sustainably and equitably is vital. Bangladesh and Myanmar have come together to work out the best way to do this for the hilsa shad, one of the region’s most commercially and culturally important fish
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Focusing the blue economy future on small-scale fisheries
18 February 2019At the heart of IIED’s fisheries economics and ocean programme are small-scale fisheries and the people linked to those fisheries. Together, they play a large part in the future health and sustainability of the blue economy
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Green lessons for the blue economy
11 December 2018Laura Kelly discusses how lessons from the past can help ensure everyone benefits from our ocean, seas and coasts
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First steps towards a global agreement
21 September 2018IIED director Andrew Norton responds to the end of the first session of negotiations of new laws for the high seas, calling for a greater presence of the views of those most affected to ensure a fair and inclusive treaty
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New rules for high seas must include poorest countries’ needs
5 September 2018For new laws concerning the high seas to be effective and fair, it's vital that the poorest people are listened to and given an active role in protecting and managing our oceans. So says Essam Yassin Mohammed, who is in New York for the negotiations
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Transitioning towards a plastic free world
30 May 2018Discarded plastic is one of the biggest threats to our oceans. IIED's Essam Yassin Mohammed says we must do more to tackle the problem of plastic pollution
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Three things I learnt from a small-scale fisherman in Albania
23 January 2018During a recent visit to the Albanian coastal town of Shëngjin, Essam Yassin Mohammed heard about the obstacles facing the small-scale fishing community, and was struck by recurring challenges facing artisanal fishers in different parts of the global South.
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Moving a step closer to protecting the high seas
2 August 2017The world is nearing an agreement to manage the half of the planet's surface area that is currently ungoverned. Essam Yassin Mohammed examines the battle for our ocean
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The hilsa fishing ban: good for the fish, but good for the fisher?
28 February 2017Seasonal fishing bans are helping to recover stocks of Bangladesh's national fish, the hilsa. Bigger fish are fetching better prices and – from traders to retailers − many people along the value chain are benefiting. But a new IIED study shows how one group is slipping through the net: the fishermen and women
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Turning the tide: creating incentives for sustainable oceans
17 January 2017The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are in place, but are policy makers ready and willing to bite? Dave Steinbach explains why now is the time to move from intent to action – and outlines a new approach on how to deliver SDG 14.
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Creating waves for small-scale fisheries
17 November 2016Dave Steinbach identifies three approaches to help ensure small-scale fishers are not left behind in ambitious new development agendas
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The blue economy and maritime security in Africa: why now?
13 October 2016As a high-level conference on protecting Africa's seas and oceans gets under way, Essam Yassin Mohammed reflects on the multiple dimensions to maritime security in Africa's coastal regions
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Untangling the net: what does 'leave no one behind' mean for fishers?
11 July 2016The ambition of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and their 169 targets, according to the introductory text, is to 'leave no one behind'. But what does it mean in practice? This blog aims to explain this by focusing on the small-scale fishery sector in a developing country – specifically using the case of a fishing community in the Lower Meghna Basin in Bangladesh
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Towards an inclusive blue economy
1 June 2016Action in policy and practice is needed to ensure the many benefits from oceans, seas and coasts are available to all
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Governing the ungoverned 50% of the planet
11 April 2016Essam Yassin Mohammed reports back from the first round of a UN preparatory meeting to create an agreement on the sustainable use of marine biodiversity in the high seas
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Forced to sell the roof over their heads
4 April 2016Compensation supports fisher families during a ban on hilsa fishing in Bangladesh – but a visit to a family in Govinda exposes the harsh realities of income loss
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Plunging oil prices: what happens to our oceans?
15 February 2016Falling oil prices might be benefiting the UK economy, but are the world's fish stocks paying the price?
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A sustainable ocean by 2030
14 September 2015A Sustainable Development Goal for oceans, seas and marine resources is a significant milestone, but how will it be financed and who will benefit?
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Painting Africa's economy blue
22 July 2015The first official day of the decade for African Seas and Oceans provides a timely reason to think about how marine resources could better contribute to Africa's economy