Trevor Bacon, Director of Marine Programs for The Moore Charitable Foundation, recently spoke with Global Fishing Watch to discuss the marine conservation work happening in Panama between the Islas Secas Foundation and our dedicated partners. This interview was first featured in the most recent edition of Global Fishing Watch’s newsletter.
Q: Tell us about Islas Secas Foundation’s mission and its focus areas. Why Panama?
Islas Secas Foundation (ISF) is the Moore Charitable Foundation’s Panama affiliate. We support marine and terrestrial conservation and research, habitat protection and local community programs. We focus our efforts primarily in the Gulf of Chiriquí, a biodiversity hotspot in the Tropical Eastern Pacific, where the Islas Secas Resort is located.
Q: How does ISF collaborate with GFW to achieve its goals?
One of ISF’s primary focus areas is the sustainable use of marine resources, including sustainable and responsible fishing practices. Although GFW has an MOU with ARAP to share Panama’s VMS data on their platform, GFW only receives information on their international fleet. ISF’s support for GFW is focused on ensuring Panama’s domestic fleets are monitored to meet legal requirements that prevent IUU fishing. We hope that this information will be shared transparently on the GFW platform, making Panama a leader in transparency.
Q: What are some of the challenges and opportunities you see in Panama’s marine management, especially with recent political changes?
Since 2019, GFW has successfully worked alongside local authorities, helping make Panama a blue leader. With the recent change of administration, we have an opportunity to foster significant relationships and continue a successful collaboration, further increasing Panama’s actions towards transparency. The new administration has an impressive environmental track record, and I believe their goals align well with those of GFW.
Q: Looking ahead, what are your hopes and expectations for the UN Ocean Conference taking place next year?
I hope to see new transparency commitments from Panama and the rest of the world. I would also like to see more actions taken to accomplish the commitments made in past conferences.