Global Charter for Transparency - Public Consultation
Form closes: October 31st, 2022 

We, the Global Fisheries Transparency Coalition, are asking for feedback from the public on our Global Charter for Transparency. The Charter seeks to provide a common set of transparency policy principles for all states to adopt to advance transparency and accountability at sea. The draft Charter in its entirety can be accessed at this link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UMGfuML7LsDwSTmdLmSt3LvFTxofSlu9/view?usp=sharing

The Global Fisheries Transparency Coalition is an international platform and voice for advocacy non-governmental organizations campaigning to improve transparency and accountability in marine governance. By developing joined up strategies and harmonizing efforts in key countries and regions around a set of transparency policy principles - the Global Charter - the Coalition aims to stop illegal fishing and human rights abuse at sea and increase equity amongst fisheries stakeholders.

The Charter will be accompanied by a detailed report providing reasoning behind each principle, examples of their adoption in the real world and key considerations in their implementation (including by different parts of the fisheries sector). We welcome any suggestions for elements that should be included in this report. 


If you would like to provide comments, suggestions, or ask questions about the Charter or the accompanying report, please see the instructions below on how to fill out this form.  


Instructions:
  • Carefully read through the Global Charter for Transparency, including the preamble. For your convenience, the preamble is also included below. 
  • Below you will find comment boxes for each of the ten principles from the Charter. Please input your questions/suggestions/critiques into the appropriate comment box. You do not need to respond to every comment box; feedback on even just one of the principles is welcome and appreciated.
  • Please also see the comment box at the bottom of the form where you can input general feedback about the Charter, the accompanying report, or other relevant information such as resources for us to review.
  • After the comment period ends on 10/31/22, the Steering Committee will thoughtfully review all comments for possible incorporation into the Charter.
  • Note: All submissions will remain anonymous and your information will not be shared outside of this form.

Charter preamble:

These 10 principles constitute the advocacy priorities of the coalition’s civil society membership. These should be implemented by states so that information is widely available to support equitable, effective fisheries management and a seafood supply free from illegal practices. They are intended for the entire fisheries sector – readily implementable in industrial fisheries, with some principles requiring further adaptation before they can be effectively applied to all small-scale fisheries.


Additional resources:

For more information about the Coalition, please see our FAQ: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1X3BP_QX9p1BZdO7GAWBb9_DFUWXriaAI/view?usp=sharing

If your organization would like to join the Coalition, please fill out our Membership Application:

https://forms.gle/U6eiv67pjcGKCkR5A 

For further questions and concerns, please email: globaltransparency@oceana.org

Sign in to Google to save your progress. Learn more
Name (First and last) *
Email *
Organization *
Principle 1: Give all fishing vessels, refrigerated transport vessels and supply vessels (hereafter ‘fishing vessels’) unique identification numbers and also provide them to the FAO Global Record, RFMOs and other relevant bodies.
Principle 2: Publish lists of fishing vessel licences (including key vessel information), authorizations, subsidies, official access agreements and sanctions (for fisheries and labor offences) and also supply this information to the FAO Global Record.
Principle 3: Make public the beneficial ownership of vessels.
Principle 4: Stop the use of flags of convenience by fishing vessels by enforcing the UNCLOS Article 91 requirement for a genuine link between vessels and their flag state, and punish nationals involved in IUU fishing and associated offences regardless of the flag of their vessel. 
Principle 5: Require vessel position to be public (by sharing VMS, or sharing other non-public systems or mandating AIS).
Principle 6: Ban transferring fish between boats at sea – unless pre-authorized, carefully monitored and publicly logged.
Principle 7:  Mandate the adoption of robust control systems that ensure seafood is legal and traceable from net to plate, conforming to relevant catch management measures whose key data elements are made publicly available.
Principle 8: Ratify and comply with international instruments that set clear standards for fishing vessels and the trade in fisheries products, including FAO PSMA, ILO C188 and IMO Cape Town.
Principle 9:  Publish all collected fisheries data and scientific assessments; ensure the equitable access and appropriate participation of small-scale fishers, industry associations and civil society in the development of fisheries rules, regulations, subsidies and fisheries budgets and decisions on access to fisheries resources; and make these easily accessible by the public and enforcement agencies.
Principle 10: Collect and verify robust data on crew identities, nationalities, gender, contractual terms, recruitment agencies, location and means of joining vessels and conditions on vessels and publish information in aggregate form.
General feedback & questions
Submit
Clear form
Never submit passwords through Google Forms.
This content is neither created nor endorsed by Google. Report Abuse - Terms of Service - Privacy Policy
Google Forms