June 5, 2025 – Nice, France – As the 2025 UN Ocean Conference (UNOC3) gets underway next week, the International Coalition of Fisheries Associations (ICFA) is calling on policymakers to recognize the vital role of sustainable fisheries in ocean governance, food security, and climate resilience.
“Sustainable fishing must be recognized as part of the solution to global environmental and food challenges,” said Ivan López Van de Veen, ICFA Chair. “With 82% of global wild-capture fish volume already coming from sustainable sources, the fishing sector is not the problem—it’s a partner in progress.”
Key Messages from ICFA:
- Commit to 100% Effective Fisheries Management: With the majority of global fisheries already sustainably managed, ICFA urges governments to work toward 100% effective management. That means incentivizing innovation in fishing practices and collaborating with the sector to utilize its extensive data and science.
- Recognize Seafood’s Role in Global Food Security: Sustainable seafood is essential for the health and well-being of more than 3 billion people. ICFA reminds Member States that sustainable seafood supports not only SDG 14 (Life Below Water) but also contributes directly to SDGs 1, 2, 3, 8, 12, and 13.
- Include Sustainable Fisheries in Biodiversity and Climate Strategies: All sustainable fishing, regardless of gear type or vessel, plays an essential role in the biodiversity and climate change nexus. Without blue foods, the world’s food system will be more carbon intensive and more destructive of biodiversity. ICFA urges Coastal Member States to support fisheries as critical to their biodiversity and climate change action plans.
ICFA anticipates targeted campaigns against bottom trawling during UNOC3, and in response, ICFA is reaffirming its position that responsible bottom trawling is both sustainable and essential.
“Trawling, when conducted responsibly, is indeed sustainable and an efficient method of fishing,” said López. “Without the use of trawl gear and associated sustainable practices, global food security would be in greater peril.”
Bottom trawling accounts for more than one-quarter of all wild-caught seafood, equivalent to 213 billion meals annually—enough to feed 194 million people three times a day, more than the population of Bangladesh. ICFA calls on governments to recognize responsible bottom trawling as a sustainable practice and to reflect that in national and international policy frameworks. ICFA has released an updated Bottom Trawling Resolution, which can be viewed here.
Lopez will be attending the conference and participating in two key side events. He will participate in an event titled ‘Sustainable fisheries: The role of trade from ocean to plate.’ Additionally, he will participate in an event called ‘Promoting the Role of Sustainable Food from the Ocean for Poverty Eradication and Food Security.’
