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Funding Fish is excited to be strengthening our grantmaking by merging with Oceans 5, the leading global grantmaking collaborative dedicated to sustainable fisheries and marine protection.

From January 2020, Funding Fish and Oceans 5 will merge to strengthen international marine philanthropy. The merger builds upon years of informal collaboration among the world’s two leading marine funders’ groups.

Donors to each organization will combine to form a joint Board of Advisors, while staff from Funding Fish will join the Oceans 5 team. Grantmaking priorities of the combined organization will be focused on projects to end overfishing, establish marine reserves and combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.

The organization will continue to prioritize policy-oriented objectives involving collaborative work.  If you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact Tristram Lewis (email hidden; JavaScript is required).

 

The ocean plays a critical role in human health and the health of the planet.

• It generates the oxygen we breathe.
• It has absorbed over 90% of global warming.
• It provides sustenance and livelihoods for hundreds of millions of people.

The new Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere (IPCC SROC) sets out clear evidence that the ocean is bearing the brunt of the climate crisis.

It shows that our planet’s life support system is crumbling and we must not only act immediately to cut CO2 emissions, we need to dramatically reduce the other major stresses on the ocean.

The scale of the pressure on the ocean is matched only by the opportunities for leadership in restoring the planet’s greatest source of life.

The EU can, and must:

• End over-fishing and illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. Scientists say ending over-fishing will not only secure vital fish populations for the future, but constitute a significant climate emergency action. This can start with the EU AGRIFISH Council meeting in October.
• Put in place a robust High Seas Treaty by the end of 2020.
• Protect at least thirty percent of the ocean through implemented, highly and fully protected areas by the end of 2030.
• Protect the deep ocean, through a precautionary pause on deep-sea mining.

Taking Action

• NGOs write open letter to EU leaders: Protect Our Life Support System – sent to: Ursula von der Leyen, President-elect of the European Commission; Charles Michel, President-elect of the European Council; David Sassoli, President of the European Parliament.
• MEPs: SIGN this letter to President von der Leyen to make the new Green Deal blue

See also:

• Report: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere (IPCC SROC)
• Press release: 50 NGOs Call on EU Leaders to Protect Ocean as Climate Action
• Report: Ending Over-fishing Is Opportunity to Combat Climate Crisis  

 

As commitment grows across Europe to comply with the law and implement fully documented fisheries we explore the challenges and the opportunities.

• Europe has moved from a fisheries management system that counts fish brought ashore to counting fish brought on board the vessel (the legal requirement states catches “must count against quotas and be accurately documented for example by CCTV”). This new system of full catch accountability is a fundamental change.
• In the past when a Member State exceeded their quota they had to pay it back, now with full catch accountability Member States are obliged to monitor their fleets and hence avoid exceeding it.
• In addition seafood processors, retailers and consumers want to be confident their seafood is from sustainable, well managed stocks and legally compliant fisheries. While fully documented fisheries can play a role here ironically the lack of it risks making the fishing illegal as it is required by law.
• As you can see this is complicated, however it also provides opportunities. This report (1.3mb PDF) looks at these issues in more detail, exploring the challenges and opportunities.
• For more information on CCTV systems (Electronic Monitoring) see this video or a shorter version.