Managing fishing vessels goes far beyond tracking where a boat is registered. In this episode, we dive into Oceana’s Beyond the Flag report to explore how large-scale fishing vessels are often flagged in one country but owned in another, creating dangerous loopholes that allow illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing to thrive. This legal and beneficial ownership opacity undermines ocean governance, drains resources from coastal nations, and hides the true power behind global fishing operations.

Managing fishing vessels transparently is essential for sustainable ocean futures. We discuss why more than 6,900 industrial vessels are shrouded in secrecy, how open registries like Panama and Belize fuel the problem, and what can be done to hold owners accountable. With solutions ranging from public vessel ownership databases to policy reform, this episode highlights how better transparency could transform fisheries management worldwide.

Chapters:
0:00 – Intro: Why the flag on a fishing vessel doesn’t tell the whole story
2:20 – What is the Beyond the Flag report and why it matters
5:05 – Defining flag states, legal owners, and beneficial owners
8:12 – How hidden ownership fuels illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing
11:00 – Over 6,900 vessels analyzed, but 62% lack legal ownership data
14:10 – Real-world consequences of opaque ownership in global fisheries
17:40 – Flags of convenience: How Panama, Belize, and others enable secrecy
21:05 – The mismatch between vessel location, registration, and control
24:15 – Ten countries own more than half of known large-scale fishing vessels
27:22 – Corporate structures and shell companies: How ownership is hidden
30:30 – How lack of transparency undermines enforcement and governance
34:05 – What this means for developing coastal nations and local economies
37:15 – Oceana’s push for mandatory legal and beneficial ownership disclosure
41:00 – What transparency reforms might look like in practice
44:18 – How this issue connects to ocean justice and global seafood supply chains
47:00 – The role of consumers, retailers, and seafood certification schemes
49:55 – Technology solutions: Can AIS, databases, or blockchain help?
52:15 – Are governments ready to tackle this problem?
54:10 – What listeners can do to support vessel transparency
56:30 – Final thoughts: Transparency as a tool for sustainable ocean futures
58:55 – Closing message and call to action

#oceanconservation #MarineBiology #SaveOurOceans #ProtectTheOcean #OceanAwareness #BluePlanet #ConservationMatters #ScienceForChange #SustainableOceans
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