Foreign Ministry holds meeting on ghost fishing nets in Mexico

Foreign Ministry holds meeting on ghost fishing nets in Mexico

• Federal and state government agencies, academia, civil society, and international organizations analyzed strategies to strengthen multi-sectoral collaboration and address the challenges associated with ghost fishing nets.
• The forum promoted shared responsibility in the protection and sustainable management of the ocean.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) convened a forum on August 19 to discuss the comprehensive management of ghost fishing nets in Mexico.

The event featured the participation of Camila Zepeda Lizama, Director General for Global Issues at the Foreign Ministry, and Juan Carlos Lapuente Landero, Director of Aquaculture Research at the Mexican Institute for Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture Research (IMIPAS). Representatives from federal and state government agencies, academia, non-governmental organizations, and international organizations also took part, presenting the national landscape on the comprehensive management of ghost fishing nets from different perspectives.

In her remarks, Camila Zepeda, Director General for Global Issues at the Foreign Ministry, stressed the need to create multi-sectoral forums to develop coordinated responses to the ghost fishing net problem. She also highlighted the importance of exploring new opportunities for international cooperation.

She shared that Mexico's updated National Oceans and Coasts Policy will include the management of ghost fishing nets as a priority. "It will be the first national public policy instrument to do so," she said.

The forum featured the presentation of successful case studies on the prevention, management, and recycling of ghost fishing nets in collaboration with local communities. Yadira Gómez Hernández, Director General of Regional Operations at the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas, showcased the Mexican Whale Disentanglement Network (Raben) initiative.

Enrique Sanjurjo, Executive Director of Pesca ABC, discussed the "Manual to Prevent, Mitigate, and Correct the Damages Caused by Ghost Fishing Gear in Mexico," a training tool aimed at educating fishing communities on proper net management. He said it was necessary to widely distribute the manual, strengthen local capacities, and develop pilot projects to enable its effective implementation.

Representatives from the International Conservation Caucus Foundation (ICCF) emphasized the importance of continuing to build collaborative partnerships across various sectors, as several challenges are due to a lack of mandates and definitions in the legal framework for the proper management of ghost fishing nets.

Members of the Global Ghost Gear Initiative (GGGI) stressed the urgency of continuing to generate robust knowledge about ghost fishing nets at the national level, including statistics on impacts to marine populations and concentration sites, as well as the development of incentives to recover and recycle ghost fishing nets.

The "Manual to Prevent, Mitigate, and Correct the Damages Caused by Ghost Fishing Gear in Mexico" is available at:

https://www.gob.mx/sre/documentos/manual-para-prevenir-mitigar-y-corregir-los-danos-causados-por-las-redes-de-pesca-fantasma-en-mexico?state=published.