• Says ‘Sustainable fishing is humanity’s only option’ as fishing resources of devel. countries are being exploited by certain predators
• Acknowledges that existing int’l IUU accountability mechanisms are inefficient
• Calls for global action for sustainable fishing, pollution control, conservation

The United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres yesterday (10) said that there is a need to improve accountability in relation to illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing, and destructive practices like bottom trawling, which have plagued Sri Lanka for over a decade.

Guterres made these remarks during a press conference at the UN Ocean Conference (UNOC3) in response to a question by The Daily Morning about what the UN can do to aid small countries like Sri Lanka which lack the capacity to combat the increasing challenge of cross-border IUU fishing by regional actors like India. The Secretary-General stated: “We must develop better forms of accountability in relation to illegal fishing, and in relation to the way that the fishing resources of developing countries are being exploited by a certain number of predators. So, there’s a question about accountability. And, we are doing our best to increase the mechanisms of international accountability, which, let’s be clear, are extremely limited and inefficient.”

Sri Lanka has been struggling to contain and stop mass-scale IUU fishing by thousands of Indian fishing trawlers which use the banned bottom trawling technique to pillage Sri Lankan waters and damage vital marine ecosystems that sustain fish stocks in the North of the island. Despite a well-established and legally-binding international maritime boundary between both the countries, India continues to allow thousands of its fishermen who use bottom trawling to venture in to Sri Lankan waters on a weekly basis, plundering the livelihoods of poverty stricken coastal communities in the North and the East of Sri Lanka, who are dependent on the sea for food security.

Meanwhile, Guterres called on all nations to rally around the new international Legislation aimed at protecting the ocean and the marine environment, the Agreement under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of the Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (the BBNJ Agreement), adding that action is needed now to control plastic pollution, reduce overfishing, and to improve action on climate change. Commenting about the BBNJ, he said: “This Agreement is a historic step towards protecting vast areas of our ocean. I congratulate the 134 countries that have signed and the 49 that have ratified the Agreement – including 18 new signatures and 18 ratifications this week alone. The entry into force is within our sight and I call on all remaining nations to join them. We don’t have a moment to lose.”

Speaking about climate change and overfishing, Guterres said; “We must transform how we harvest the ocean’s bounty. It is not about fishing, but about how we fish. Sustainable fishing is not a choice – it’s our only option. There’s a tipping point approaching – beyond which recovery may become impossible. And, let’s be clear: powerful interests are pushing us towards that brink. We are facing a hard battle, against a clear enemy. Its name is greed. Greed that sows doubt, denies science, distorts truth, rewards corruption, and destroys life for profit. We can’t let greed dictate the fate of our planet. That’s why we are here this week: to stand in solidarity against those forces and reclaim what belongs to us all. Governments, business leaders, fishers, scientists, and everyone have a responsibility and a vital role to play.”