Why the need for FOCUS
Illicit fishing may account for up to 26 million tonnes of fish a year, or more than 15 percent of the world’s total annual capture fisheries output. Besides economic damage, such practices can threaten local biodiversity and food security in many countries.
A collaborative approach is needed to stop this practice. FOCUS shares the idea presented by FAO that to successful deter IUU activities timely and reliable cross-disciplinary information in order to establish baselines, monitor changes, and support decision-making is needed.
FOCUS wants to provide a reference implementation of an integrated suite of applications implementing global standards to address this need. If we can start by sharing data and reach a common understanding of the information, knowledge will follow.