Dr Audun Lem appointed as new Chair of the Fisheries Transparency Initiative (FiTI)
10 December 2025. The International Board of the Fisheries Transparency Initiative (FiTI) has appointed Dr Audun Lem as the third Chair of the Initiative. His three-year term will begin on 1 January 2026, succeeding Dr Valeria Merino-Dirani, who has chaired the organization since its formal establishment in 2020.
Announcing the appointment on behalf of the Board, Dr Merino-Dirani stated: “We are delighted with this decision and confident that Dr Lem will guide the FiTI into a new phase of geographic expansion and growing impact. Throughout a highly competitive selection process, he demonstrated the personal and professional qualities essential for advancing transparency and genuine multi-stakeholder participation in the fisheries sector. Audun has long made the case that transparency is central to sound, sustainable governance of marine fisheries. He brings deep knowledge of the sector and has earned the trust of stakeholders across industry, government, and civil society. It is with confidence and great expectations that I hand over my responsibilities to Audun, as he is deeply committed to furthering FiTI’s work.”
Dr Lem is a Norwegian economist widely respected for his leadership in fisheries governance and management. He recently retired from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) after more than two decades of service, including ten years as Deputy Director of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Division. During his tenure, he played a central role in strengthening FAO’s global work on fisheries trade, markets, and value chains. As coordinator of GLOBEFISH, he oversaw the regular publication of independent market and trade information – including the FAO Fish Price Index – that governments, industry, and analysts worldwide rely on. He also served for many years as Secretary of the FAO Sub-Committee on Fish Trade, FAO’s primary forum for discussions on market access, sustainability, and the role of small-scale producers in international trade. He has published extensively, is fluent in several languages, and currently chairs the Scientific Advisory Committee of ASSOITTICA and serves on the board of the European Association of Fisheries Economists (EAFE).
Audun Lem, upon accepting the appointed, said: “I am honoured to join the FiTI as its new Chair. I have followed the organisation’s development closely from the onset, 10 years ago, and I am truly excited to come on board as it launches the updated FiTI Standard. During my nearly 29 years at FAO, I saw first-hand the crucial importance of access to data and the need for transparency to enable science- and evidence-based decision-making—not only in fisheries management but in policy development more broadly. I look forward to working with all stakeholders to promote greater transparency and to strengthen FiTI as a vehicle for sustainability in global fisheries.”
The FiTI Board expressed its deep appreciation to Dr Merino-Dirani, who has led the Initiative since its incorporation in Seychelles in 2020. Under her guidance, FiTI grew from a promising technical concept into a practical driver of transparency and stakeholder engagement. Thirteen countries in Africa and Latin America are already implementing the FiTI Standard, with additional countries preparing to join. By applying the FiTI Standard, which provides a globally recognised framework for what information national authorities should publish on fisheries, how it can be verified, and how it can be used more effectively to inform public debate, governments are strengthening an indispensable tool for governance in their marine fisheries sector.
Working closely with the FiTI International Secretariat, Dr Merino helped establish strong governance systems, a clear strategic direction, and a resilient and nimble institutional structure, while also broadening FiTI’s funding base and expanding its partnerships. On behalf of the International FiTI Board, she oversaw several independent validation processes, resulting in Seychelles and Mauritania becoming the first countries recognized as compliant with the FiTI Standard.
Across FiTI implementing countries, a consistent trend is emerging. When information is organized, published, and trusted, management improves, and confidence in the sector grows. While many governments have long collected fisheries data, it is often not organized consistently or accessible to the public. With reliable, up-to-date public information endorsed by national multi-stakeholder groups, authorities are better able to respond to shifting stock and industry conditions, including those driven by climate and trade. Increased access to up-to-date data also support fairer allocation decisions, strengthen planning and forecasting, boost investor confidence, and help limit opportunities for illegal activity.
A revised version of the FiTI Standard will be released later this year to address emerging expectations and challenges. FiTI is also preparing to launch a new web-based Fisheries Information System (FIS), which will help countries organize and publish their marine fisheries data for government use and public access (FiTI does not collect data; it provides technical assistance and transparency tools).
In a world experiencing rapid environmental, economic, and technological change, the sustainable management of marine fisheries depends on steady, committed work grounded in reliable public information. The FiTI invites governments, civil society, and the private sector to join or support its mission to make transparency a cornerstone of global fisheries governance.