Stakeholders highlight transparency at Argentina’s Week of Sustainable Fisheries
The FiTI Secretariat presented the Fisheries Transparency Initiative and moderated a panel discussion on transparency and the need for cooperation among different stakeholders during La Semana de la Pesca Sostenible (the Week of Sustainable Fisheries) in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The event was hosted by the Argentine-German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (AHK Argentina) and supported by the International Anti-Corruption Academy (IACA).
A roundtable discussion with participants from the Production Ministry of Chubut – the southern province with the most significant fisheries sector in the country – and from companies concluded that better transparency standards are needed and beneficial to open the sector to new markets, primarily in Europe. The participants expressed their willingness to establish an initial multi-stakeholder working group to analyse the current situation and suggest improvements. In this context, they agreed that a commitment to the FiTI would significantly help increase the sector’s visibility, showcase existing best practices, and address transparency gaps.
The second day was dedicated to a conference on transparency in the fisheries sector, highlighting practical examples of how collective action and multi-stakeholder approaches can drive change towards greater transparency and integrity.
After the FiTI Regional Coordinator for Latin America, Nicolás Rovegno, presented the FiTI to the audience, he and the FiTI Validation Coordinator, Dorothea Garff, moderated a panel discussion on transparency in the fisheries sector. The panel comprised representatives from both large- and small-scale fisheries and the government, including Agustín de la Fuente, President of Cámara Argentina Patagónica de Industrias Pesqueras (CAPIP), Néstor Roche, FiTI International Board Member and Board Member of Unión Latinoamericana de Pescadores Artesanales (ULAPA), and Dr. Otto Wöhler, National Director of the Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo Pesquero (INIDEP).
The panellists shared their perspectives on the benefits of transparency for their respective stakeholder groups. According to Agustín de la Fuente, transparency enhances the visibility of the fisheries sector in global markets. Néstor Roche highlighted that greater transparency would help identify the challenges small-scale fisheries face in Argentina due to the lack of an adequate legal framework. Finally, Dr. Otto Wöhler emphasised that open data would support fisheries management in daily operations and decision-making.
Mariana Regueira, AHK Manager for Corporate Integrity – who organised the activities on behalf of AHK Argentina and IACA – reflected on the event, stating: “I am convinced that only multi-stakeholder approaches can analyse current transparency gaps more objectively and drive public debates on necessary changes to improve data availability. This, in turn, helps facilitate better and more participatory decision-making in sustainable fisheries management. Joining the FiTI would be a valuable objective for an initial working group of stakeholders from government, business, and civil society to achieve.”
