Victory: On Aug 29, 2024, President Mohamed Muizzu of the Maldives reaffirmed the country’s support for traditional one-by-one tuna fisheries by halting plans to issue new longline fishing licenses. This decision cements the Maldives’ reputation as a leader in sustainable tuna fishing and ensures the continued protection of vital marine species, including sharks, rays, and turtles. Over 30,000 global supporters played a crucial role in achieving this outcome by raising their voices in record time on the Only One platform to advocate #AgainstLonglining. For more updates, visit the Maldives Ocean Alliance website and follow them on Instagram at @maldivesoceanalliance.
What You Need to Know
The Maldives is a global leader in sustainable fishing practices, but recent discussions regarding the potential reopening of longline fishing in the Maldives pose significant social, economic and ecological risks.
We urge the Maldivian government to consider the potential negative impacts of longline fishing:
Social and health impacts: Longlining often leads to overfishing, reducing fish populations and affecting the livelihoods of communities that rely on sustainable, one-by-one fishing methods. Longline fishing also requires extended periods at sea, posing safety risks and potential human rights issues such as exploitation and modern slavery, all the while disrupting family and community life. In addition, bycatch often includes species with mercury levels dangerous for human consumption, which if sold and consumed, would pose significant public health risks and increase public health costs for the Maldivian population.
Environmental Concerns: Longlines not only increase pressure on already-overfished tuna populations, but kill a wide range of non-target species and vulnerable animals, including sharks, turtles, manta rays, and seabirds, among the Maldives' most prized tourism assets. Longlines are often lost at sea, continuing to kill animals long after the fishing boats have left. In 2022, it was estimated that 740,000 km (about 460,000 mi) of longlines litter the ocean annually, endangering marine health and biodiversity.
Economic losses: Tourism, the Maldives' main source of income, relies on healthy marine life and habitats. Longlining represents a de facto lifting of the longstanding shark fishing ban that has been instrumental in rebuilding the health of marine life in the Maldives. The potential depletion of shark, whale shark, turtle, manta ray, and seabird populations due to longline bycatch would diminish the Maldives' appeal as a tourism destination, significantly impacting the national economy.
Continued support for traditional one-by-one fishing practices, such as pole-and-line and handline fishing, is crucial for the prosperity of local fishing communities and the long-term health of marine ecosystems.
We urge the Maldives to maintain and strengthen their commitment to protecting marine biodiversity and job creation for locals through the promotion of sustainable fishing and ecotourism.
Add your name to call on the Maldivian government to refrain from issuing new longline fishing licenses and ensure a healthy and economically viable future for the Maldives' ocean and its people.
