Summary
Threatened Fisheries Within the Global 200 Marine Ecoregions









Brussels Conference | Lisbon Conference

14 - 15 September 1998-Lisbon, Portugal
First Ever International Fisheries Conference

WWF will host its first-ever international fisheries conference, Creating a Sea Change: Resolving the Global Fisheries Crisis, on 14 & 15 September in Lisbon. More than 150 stakeholders, including industry leaders, government experts, renowned scientists and fisheries conservationists, will debate cutting-edge solutions to help bring about sustainable fisheries.

Building political will for better fisheries management, creating market incentives for sustainable fisheries and establishing fisheries reserves as an "insurance" against overfishing are just some of the themes that will be discussed during the two-day event.

At least 60% of the world's fisheries are overfished or fished to the limit. Recent studies by WWF estimate that current fishing capacity is two and a half times greater than needed to catch fish at a sustainable rate. WWF believes that it is essential to engage all stakeholders in order to find alternative solutions to the current fisheries crisis.

At a parallel news conference, the Marine Stewardship Council, an independent market-led initiative, will announce its first Group of Trustees. In addition, WWF's Living Planet Campaign will issue a call to action to business and industry, governments and individuals to commit to marine Gifts to the Earth, such as Unilever's pledge to certify all of its fish products to MSC standards. WWF will also recognise recent efforts by governments to create marine protected areas.


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