FiTI International Board elects seven new members for 2023-2025 term - FiTI

9 January 2023. The International Board of the Fisheries Transparency Initiative (FiTI) is extremely pleased to welcome seven new members to the FiTI association: Mr Andres ARENS, Mr Roy CLARISSE, Mr Joacim JOHANNESON, Mr Tony LAZAZZARA, Ms Maisie PIGEON, Mr Dawda Foday SAINE, and Ms Annie TOURETTE.

The International Board is the global supervisory body of the FiTI. The FiTI is a global non-profit and non-governmental organization incorporated under Seychellois law, and its programmatic work is carried out by its International Secretariat. The sole responsibility of members of the association is to serve in the FiTI International Board.

The FiTI is a collaborative effort comprised of government, business, and civil society representatives. Their diverse interests, experiences, networks, and resources are fundamental to sustainable marine fisheries.

The FiTI International Board approved the procedure to elect new Board Members in 2022, published on the FiTI website. Prospective Board Members were nominated by entities from the government, business, or social sectors interested in enhancing transparency and multi-stakeholder participation in fisheries, good ocean governance, open government, and access to information. The FiTI International Board designated a Board Committee that conducted the selection process and recommended nominees to the Board.

The new Board Members share an unwavering commitment to increasing transparency in marine fisheries by having governments publish online information related to this critical natural resource. In turn, the accessibility to this information will contribute to better management of marine fisheries and increase its sustainability. The new Board Members bring extensive experience in marine fisheries governance and management, transparency, international commercial fishing agreements, and multi-stakeholder participation. They all have had distinguished professional careers and are recognized as collegial, strategic, and system thinkers who have a nuanced understanding of issues at the local level and recognize the global complexity and interconnections of the fishing sector.

The FiTI International Board approved the election of the following new members for a period of three years:

Mr Andres ARENS, nominated by the Government of Ecuador (Ministry of Production, Foreign Trade, Investments and Fishing); stakeholder group: Government sector; first-term election.
Mr Roy CLARISSE, nominated by the Government of Seychelles (Ministry of Fisheries and Blue Economy); stakeholder group: Government sector; first-term election.
Mr Joacim JOHANNESON, nominated by the Government of Sweden (Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management); stakeholder group: Government sector; first-term election.
Mr Tony LAZAZZARA, nominated by Thai Union Group; stakeholder group: Business sector (Large-scale fisheries); first-term election.
Ms Maisie PIGEON, nominated by Oceana; stakeholder group: Social sector; first-term election.
Mr Dawda Foday SAINE, nominated by the African Confederation of Professional Organizations of Artisanal Fisheries (CAOPA); stakeholder group: Business sector (Small-scale fisheries); first-term election.
Ms Annie TOURETTE, nominated by Blue Ventures; stakeholder group: Social Sector; first-term election.

Dr Valeria Merino, Chair of the FiTI International Board, stated that “we are delighted to welcome these distinguished and experienced individuals to our International Board. They join a community committed to global transparency and multi-stakeholder participation in fisheries management. These new members bring an array of experience, knowledge, and perspectives that will strengthen our Board in a period of rapid global expansion and growth.”

Furthermore, the FiTI International Board approved that any new Board Member nominations received until 31 May 2023 – to fill the currently vacant seats (Government, Business/large-scale, Social sector) – will be considered following the 2022 election procedure.