United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC)
 
The Third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) will be held in Nice, France, from June 9 to 13, 2025. This event will bring together world leaders, scientists, and stakeholders to discuss the conservation and sustainable use of the oceans. The conference's overarching theme is "Accelerating action and mobilizing all actors to conserve and sustainably use the ocean".

By Ted Danson
NICE, France, May 19 2025 (IPS)

Seafood is a staple in my house – fish tacos, paella, sushi. But no matter how good it tastes, I can’t help but wonder: was my fish caught responsibly? Or did something go horribly wrong before it ever reached my plate?

Next month, as world leaders gather in Nice, France for the third United Nations Ocean Conference, they must confront a hard truth: a lack of transparency at sea is enabling illegal fishing and undermining efforts to protect our oceans.

Too often, bad actors exploit the vastness of the ocean to fish illegally and launder their catch into the seafood supply chain – with devastating consequences for marine life, coastal communities, and legitimate fishers.

This means the seafood at your local grocery store or favorite restaurant might be tied to these illicit activities — and you’d have no way of knowing. But it doesn’t have to be this way.

Ted Danson

This kind of behavior often signals something is wrong. A vessel might be trying to hide its location to fish illegally, operate in another country’s waters without permission, or offload its catch under the radar.

Even in places with rules, those rules are often flouted. The European Union, for instance, requires vessels over 49 feet to keep their tracking systems on at all times, unless there’s a genuine safety issue. Yet in our analysis of fishing around the Galápagos, 24 Spanish-flagged vessels disappeared for more than 35,000 hours combined.

Fifty-three Chinese-flagged vessels vanished for nearly 27,000 hours – and nearly all had a potential encounter or transshipment activity, where fishing vessels transfer their catch to refrigerated cargo ships at sea. While not illegal, this practice is often used to mix legal and illegal seafood, making it nearly impossible to trace.

If these practices continue unchecked, local fishers may soon find themselves coming home empty-handed.

But there’s a better way.

In 2023, small-scale mahi-mahi fishers in San Mateo, Ecuador – where 90% of the community relies on artisanal fishing – pioneered a program to build trust and traceability. Their boats were equipped with cameras and digital tracking systems.

The catch data was embedded in QR codes, allowing buyers to trace each fish back to the boat and the people who caught it.

Peru is also stepping up. The government is working to ensure that every vessel fishing for human consumption is tracked and reporting its catch. This isn’t just a top-down regulation – small-scale fishers are helping lead the way, alongside groups like Oceana.

And at the end of April, the governments of Cameroon, Ghana, and South Korea all endorsed the Global Charter for Fisheries Transparency at the Our Ocean conference. But more must be done.

The upcoming United Nations Ocean Conference is a prime opportunity for other governments around the world to follow suit and commit to greater transparency and accountability in global fishing.

That means requiring all vessels to keep tracking systems on at all times, cracking down on those who disappear at sea, and supporting programs that help fishers prove they’re following the rules.

We already have the tools. Platforms like Global Fishing Watch let anyone track fishing vessels in near-real time using satellite data. But to close the loopholes, we need governments to act.

Our oceans are not the Wild West. They are a shared resource – and a shared responsibility. By committing to transparency, we can protect marine ecosystems, ensure a level playing field for honest fishers, and give consumers confidence that their seafood is safe, legally caught, and honestly labeled.

The decisions made in Nice could shape the future of our oceans. We can’t lose sight of what’s at stake.

Ted Danson is an actor, advocate, and Oceana Board Member

IPS UN Bureau

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