IFFO Logo

September 2021 editorial

Multistakeholder initiatives are just another word for collective work and as such are as ancient as the world is. No wonder why people have always felt more efficient in the long run when working together: shared knowledge, crossed interpretations and expertise are key to imagine new patterns and ideas that are out of the box.

The downside of this is that we may get a bit lost in the middle of all ongoing multistakeholder initiatives. Because they involve so many people and organisations, and because they sometimes rely on complex procedures, they may appear heavy, technocratic or even not transparent and biased.

Now it is for all stakeholders involved in these to educate people on their process flow and benefits.

This is exactly what happens with Fishery Improvement Projects (FIPs). Fishery Improvement Projects (FIPs) are multistakeholder initiatives and are the key mechanism for involving local governments, the post-harvest sector and the industry to provide support for the implementation of management plans in fisheries. The http://www.fisheryprogress.org website provides an excellent overview of what is going on*. FIP Progress ratings are delivered by the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership, which provides the necessary assurance that a FIP remains active and credible. No claim of certification shall be made for FIP materials, however these have a value for the whole supply chain, provided traceability assurances are given throughout their journey.

IFFO believes in fishery management principles, based on scientific studies which have demonstrated their positive impacts. But FIPs are far from the unique solution towards a healthy ocean and a sustainable harvesting of marine products. Other initiatives should be praised and I was very encouraged by recent reports covering the progress made by the Fisheries Transparency Initiative (FiTI) in countries like Mauritania and Madagascar. Once again, collaboration is key, and should also take place between multistakeholder groups, not only within them.

 

* educational platforms are very helpful to understand the complexity of such initiatives. An example of this is https://www.fip-petitspelagiques-mauritanie.org/

 

The September issue addresses the following topics: