Bali, Indonesia, 21 October 2026 — The GoTFish Project highlighted the importance of regional cooperation in strengthening fisheries governance and promoting sustainable fisheries in the Gulf of Thailand at the 11th GEF International Waters Conference (IWC11), which was held in Bali, Indonesia, from 20 to 22 October 2026.
Funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), GoTFish brought together SEAFDEC, Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP), and the University of Queensland (UQ) to advance sustainable fisheries and the blue economy through the ecosystem approach to fisheries management (EAFM).
GoTFish contributed to Special Session 3, “From Shared Stocks to Shared Futures,” alongside nine organizing agencies, drawing on experiences from the Bay of Bengal Large Marine Ecosystem Phase II (BOBLME-2) project.
The discussion highlighted three interconnected approaches that were promoted by GoTFish:
– Strengthening fisheries governance and EAFM through regional coordination, aligned institutional frameworks, and joint planning.
– Promoting market-based incentives by engaging seafood supply chains and exploring Fisheries Improvement Projects and sustainability standards.
– Supporting ecological connectivity and conservation through marine protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures.
Participants emphasized that effective regional cooperation required trusted science, clear institutional responsibilities, sustained stakeholder engagement, and sustainable financing. Moving beyond information exchange to coordinated management decisions and lasting action remained a key challenge.
The key message was clear: “shared fisheries resources required shared responsibility.” By connecting science, governance, market incentives, and ecosystem conservation, countries were able to strengthen regional cooperation and build a more sustainable and resilient blue economy for fisheries and coastal communities.
