The state of world fisheries and aquaculture 2024

A number of global biodiversity agreements exist that are relevant to the fisheries and aquaculture sector. The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is a multilateral treaty to conserve biological diversity (or biodiversity) while ensuring sustainable and fair use of its components and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from genetic resources.

Under the CBD’s 2050 vision of “Living in harmony with nature”, Parties to the Convention came together in 2022 to finalize a new framework that defines a global ambition for people and nature. The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework^bn (GBF) will now be used by countries to plan National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans. Additionally, it will influence the delivery of other multilateral agreements focused on conservation (e.g. CITES,^bo BBNJ Agreement^bp), as well as business and civil society conservation efforts.

Given the urgent transformational change needed to safeguard, restore and invest in biodiversity, this new agreement better links the CBD's objectives. The framework centres around reducing threats to biodiversity and ensuring people’s socioeconomic needs are met. It comprises four goals with 23 targets that support a broad range of objectives for nature and people – covering ecosystems, species and genetic diversity, and equitable sharing of benefits from nature – and establish the enabling conditions for its implementation. At the seventh Global Environment Facility assembly in 2023, members unanimously ratified the creation of the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund to finance and deliver on the implementation of the GBF.

In contrast to previous CBD plans, many of the 23 targets concern fisheries and aquaculture, and aquatic food systems more generally. Some of the objectives are due for delivery in 2030, while others extend to 2050. Targets 1–3 address spatial management, including planning, restoration or protection of aquatic spaces. Species-focused approaches look to significantly reduce extinction risk (Target 4), strengthen safety, legality and sustainability of use and trade of wild species (Target 5), and increase actions to deter and mitigate the impacts of invasive alien species (Target 6). Targets 7 and 8 respond to pollution and climate change, other targets seek to strengthen management of production systems and ensure the fair and equitable sharing of benefits that arise from use of biodiversity (Targets 9–13). “Biodiversity mainstreaming” across sectoral governance is only mentioned in Target 12, but it remains an important consideration across most targets, and is especially relevant for Targets 10–23 aimed at strengthening sustainability and resilience of ecosystem services across business practices.

In order to build a common narrative for fisheries and aquaculture and contribute to reaching the above targets, FAO is working with stakeholder groups to obtain feedback on the opportunities and challenges in the timely delivery of the GBF in aquatic food systems. Collation and documentation of the sector’s priorities will help identify investments needed for transitioning fisheries and aquaculture policies and practices.

Over the next decade and beyond, indicator(s) proposed by countries will be used to monitor global progress in delivery of the GBF.^bq Ensuring these are well aligned will be an ongoing task for the CBD, international organizations, NGOs, academia, businesses and civil society organizations. Regular sharing of data and information (including Indigenous Peoples’ knowledge) and transfer of technology are needed to support local actors in progressing conservation of biodiversity, and to facilitate adaptive management in delivery of the GBF and global reporting.

The expansive vision for “100 percent management” is a rallying call across UN entities, Indigenous Peoples and local communities to countries now transitioning their national biodiversity conservation plans (CBD, 2019). Under Blue Transformation (FAO, 2022a), FAO aims to reach 100 percent management of all fisheries to deliver healthy stocks, restore ecosystems and secure equitable livelihoods – all part of delivering positive change for biodiversity. To realize the change agreed in the framework’s goals and targets, the task of mobilizing funding commensurate to the ambition of the GBF and achieving equitable distribution of these resources requires a global coordinated response.

In parallel to the CBD processes and under the auspices of the United Nations General Assembly,^br in 2023 UN Member States agreed to an international legally binding instrument under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisidiction (BBNJ Agreement). This agreement covers 64 percent of the total ocean surface area and around half the surface area of the planet. Fragmented legal frameworks have left biodiversity in these areas vulnerable to ever-growing threats, including climate change, plastic pollution, oil spills, overfishing, habitat destruction, ocean acidification and underwater noise.

The BBNJ Agreement is expected to be a game changer in open-ocean governance, elevating global efforts in promoting sustainable use of marine biological diversity and channelling resources to strengthen capacity to promote marine biodiversity conservation in areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ).

The agreement contains provisions on marine genetic resources, including the fair and equitable sharing of their benefits; the establishment of a comprehensive system of area-based management tools (ABMTs); environmental impact assessments; and capacity building and the transfer of marine technology to assist parties, in particular developing countries, to develop their scientific and technological capacity towards the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction. In addition, the agreement contains robust provisions on institutional arrangements, financial resources, implementation, compliance, and settlement of disputes.

A key principle of the agreement is that it should not undermine existing organizations and initiatives; its actions must promote coherence and coordination with relevant legal instruments and frameworks and relevant global, regional, subregional and sectoral bodies, including regional fishery bodies. In this context, the agreement represents an opportunity to build on existing policy instruments, processes and works of sectoral bodies. There is an urgent need for governments to ratify the new agreement, as 60 instruments of ratification need to be deposited for it to enter into force. Also, if states that are major actors in high seas activities do not join the new agreement, its effectiveness will be severely compromised.

Cooperation and synergies between bodies with relevant mandates and initiatives to implement instruments will be critical to the agreement’s success. In some cases, the BBNJ Agreement and the GBF have parallel goals, in particular, the aim to conserve 30 percent of the Earth’s land and sea through the establishment of protected areas and other ABMTs by 2030. In other cases, ensuring efficient synergies may prove more challenging, requiring further clarification of the provision on "not undermining", for example, by striving for a common vision between the new agreement and regional fisheries management organizations and other relevant legal instruments, frameworks and bodies. Lastly, implementation will require financial resources significantly greater than those currently devoted to ocean governance.

It should be noted that there are currently two international fora progressing towards the establishment of legally binding measures to address plastic pollution:

1. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)-led Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) convened to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment,^bs which adopts a comprehensive approach addressing the full life cycle of plastic. The Fourth Session of the INC discussed the revised draft text,^bt which included a provision on waste management, where fishing and aquaculture gear made of plastic material and abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) are explicitly addressed. During the discussions, some members stressed the need for the instrument to address fishing and aquaculture gear throughout its life cycle and existing pollution from such, with proposals for alternative placement of the related provisions, while others called for the deletion of these provisions from the draft text.
2. The International Maritime Organization Marine Environment Protection Committee and its Sub-Committee on Pollution Prevention and Response^bu are developing specific measures within Annex V of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships to prevent and reduce abandonment and discarding of fishing gear at sea.

Fishing gear is usually made of plastic polymers that are hazardous or problematic when they are lost, abandoned or discarded at sea. Abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear can cause direct and indirect harm and degradation to the marine environment and biodiversity, commercial and non-commercial species, human health, food security and livelihoods. It also presents a hazard to navigation and safety at sea and contributes to plastic pollution of the ocean (GESAMP, 2021).

FAO is actively participating in both processes, providing technical advice to effectively address fisheries issues. FAO promotes the establishment of fishing gear marking systems based on the Voluntary Guidelines on the Marking of Fishing Gear (FAO, 2019) as the most effective fisheries management measure to prevent and reduce ALDFG and its impacts on biodiversity and fishers’ safety and livelihoods.