Environmental Justice Foundation

24/04/2026

🐟 The fish on your plate may come with a hidden cost.

Hundreds of testimonies from crew who worked on board Chinese fishing vessels in the Indian Ocean expose forced labour and extreme neglect.

Migrant fishers on board one vessel reported being given poor-quality food, contaminated water, and denied medical care when their health deteriorated.

One fisher who challenged the captain was forced to sleep on deck. He died four days later. Two more fishers died on that voyage, all from undiagnosed illnesses.

“This is a brutal case, but the sad reality is that it is very typical of what is happening across the Chinese distant water fleet,” says Steve Trent, EJF CEO and Founder.

Fish caught by this vessel and others owned by the same company are able to enter markets in Japan, the EU, South Korea and the UK. These products could be on store shelves right now.

We are calling on the UK and other countries to endorse the Global Charter for Fisheries Transparency. With the right tools, we can shine a light on these abuses, protect migrant fishers, and hold the perpetrators accountable.

🗞️ Full story by Karen McVeigh in The Guardian ⬇️

22/04/2026

⏰ One day left to vote at the Smiley Charity Film Awards - this , choose our film "Adrift"! 🌍

Abdou and his father are separated by 1,500 km of ocean.

He left his home in Senegal and eventually reached Tenerife, after spending approximately fourteen harrowing days at sea in a wooden fishing boat. This route, increasingly used by people in West Africa to reach Europe, is considered one of the most deadly on Earth.

Fishing runs deep in Abdou’s family, who have long worked in Senegal’s artisanal fishing sector– a livelihood now under severe threat of overfishing and pressure from an expanding foreign-owned bottom trawl fleet.

With few alternatives, people are being pushed to undertake life-threatening journeys in search of opportunities elsewhere.

This escalating, intersecting crisis demands urgent attention and action. By supporting our film, you can help us share this story far and wide.

Voting closes at midnight BST on Thursday, 23 April.

21/04/2026

Dans la baie de Granville, les bancs de maërl forment des forêts sous-marines parmi les plus riches d’Europe. Ils abritent des milliers d’espèces et soutiennent la pêche locale.

Mais cet équilibre est fragile. Le chalutage de fond peut les détruire en quelques heures.

Aujourd’hui, une décision clé se joue pour l’avenir de Chausey.

📢 Informez-vous et mobilisez-vous : https://chausey-maerl-rose.org/act/protegez-chausey?l=fr

🪸

Blue Marine Foundation Défense des Milieux Aquatiques Association "Agissons pour le climat Granville Terre et Mer" Crepan Association Manche-Nature

20/04/2026

EU-Kommissionspräsidentin Ursula von der Leyen machte letztes Jahr auf der UN-Ozeankonferenz klar: „Mit den uns zur Verfügung stehenden digitalen Instrumenten […] können wir gegen diese illegale Fischerei vorgehen, die unsere Ökosysteme zerstört.“

Die notwendigen Tools und Maßnahmen sind alle vorhanden:
Von Satellitenortung über digitale Fangregistrierung bis hin zu wirksamen Sanktionen. Europa kann Fischerei transparent und fair gestalten, versteckte Überfischung eindämmen und verhindern, dass illegale Fischprodukte auf unseren Tellern landen.

Transparenz bedeutet:
➡️ mehr Vertrauen
➡️ gesunde Fischpopulationen
➡️ faire Wettbewerbsbedingungen – in der EU und global

Jetzt ist es an den Mitgliedstaaten, diese Tools umzusetzen.

📄 Lesen Sie unseren Brief an Kommissar Kadis: https://ejfoundation.org/reports/letter-to-commissioner-kadis-staying-your-course-on-combating-iuu-fishing-by-delivering-digital-and-dissuasive-fisheries-control

Bundesministerium für Landwirtschaft, Ernährung und Heimat - BMLEH

16/04/2026

🎓 Ghana’s first citizen scientists have graduated 🐟

Last week, in Kedzikope in the Volta region of Ghana, ten fishers graduated as the country’s first citizen scientists. Alongside the Fisheries Commission of Ghana, we honoured them for their years of dedication and skill in safeguarding the resource that feeds their communties and the country.

After the ceremony, they led live dissections and hands‑on demonstrations. The evening ended with a screening of our film “Citizen scientists of the sea, the power of fisher inclusion in Ghana’s closed season monitoring” in their local dialect. By the end of the day, three more fishers expressed their interest in becoming citizen scientists.

The Volta regional director of the Fisheries Commission praised their work and reminded us that this study is led by a woman, Dr. Edna Quansah, EJF’s Science and Research Manager. His challenge to the community was clear: “Give girls the same opportunities, because they too can lead change”.

🤝 This project was funded by the Norwegian government and implemented by EJF in collaboration with the Fisheries Commission of Ghana, as part of participatory co-management and fisher inclusion in closed-season monitoring.

🔗 Read the report on Ghana's citizen scientists: https://ejfoundation.org/reports/citizen-scientists-of-the-sea-ghana

🎬 Watch the film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELirTd_6tyg

15/04/2026

👏 Yesterday, Ghana declared its first Marine Protected Area (MPA) 🪸

We congratulate the Honourable Emelia Arthur, Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, for her outstanding leadership in delivering this incredible milestone. Her leadership and Hen Mpoano - Our Coast’s years of dedication and community engagement made this moment possible.

This is a defining moment for Ghana. Its fisheries are under severe pressure, and the coastal communities that depend on them are struggling as a result. A well-resourced, well-enforced MPA will safeguard vital ecosystems and help to secure the livelihoods and food security of millions for generations to come.

Ghana is showing us what positive, community-led marine governance looks like. We celebrate this historic milestone and look forward to seeing it deliver lasting benefits for Ghana’s marine environment, economy and people. 🌊

📣 Read the press comment: https://ejfoundation.org/news-media/press-statement-new-marine-protected-area-is-is-a-defining-moment-for-ghana

📷 The Honourable Emelia Arthur speaks at an event to launch Ghana's first marine protected area - Image credit: Hen Mpoano

11/04/2026

🌊 Eyes in the sky: drone training for ocean defenders

Early this month, EJF’s team in Thailand delivered drone training to our partner มูลนิธิอันดามัน Save Andaman Network Foundation (SAN) in Trang Province, as a part of our Ocean Defenders programme.

SAN is a Thai NGO focused on strengthening community participation in coastal protection. Their project also aims to support seagrass restoration and dugong protection.

Our training was centred on drone operation techniques and best practices. This included collecting images for reporting and films, and hands-on training on flying drones to monitor dugongs and seagrass.

This programme supports ocean defenders worldwide in their efforts to protect the ocean. Through strategic support, funding, leadership and advocacy training, we strive to unlock their full potential.

Together, we can ensure these organisations and the ocean can thrive 🌏

Learn more about Save Andaman Network Foundation (SAN): https://saveandamannetwork.org/

08/04/2026

“The structural vulnerability that produced the crisis - civilisational dependence on a 21-mile waterway - will persist unless political leaders have the courage to lead its elimination.”

In a guest feature in the Land and Climate Review, Steve Trent, EJF CEO and Founder discusses the impact Trump’s war in the Middle East will have on global energy systems.

The vulnerabilities of our over-reliance on the Strait of Hormuz for the world’s oil and liquified natural gas trade have been exposed by the war in the Middle East.

War is expensive, and the deadly price is paid by the communities least responsible. From skyrocketing energy and fertiliser costs to catastrophic wartime emissions, the reverberations of this conflict on the global economy, environment, food security, and human lives will continue well into the future.

The volatility premium we pay for our reliance on fossil fuels is one of the highest hidden costs in the global economy, but renewable energy eliminates it. It has been proven time and time again to be the most affordable source of energy that strengthens energy security and reduces emissions.

The road ahead is worrying, but there is reason to hope - this year, investment in clean energy has already surged. We can achieve energy sovereignty and resilience, but only if we accelerate the green transition away from fossil fuels now.

07/04/2026

🚨 We’re a Communications and Media Officer - Ghana to join our team!

This is a role for an ambitious and talented communications professional with exceptional copywriting and organisational skills, an eye for a compelling story, and the confidence to secure media coverage.

Their work will exclusively focus on securing targeted, impactful media coverage for our work in Ghana, including but not limited to radio, television, traditional media, and digital media.

If you have experience working in a media/press team and an excellent working knowledge of the media landscape in Ghana, we encourage you to apply.

Apply by 30 April. Find more details on our website:

Communications and Media Officer Position: Communications and Media Officer Based: EJF office in Cape Coast, Ghana Contract: Full-time, permanent Salary…

06/04/2026

🐟 “We are risking our life to go, but they come here to steal our fish.”

Senegal’s seas are being plundered by an expanding, largely foreign-owned bottom trawl fleet. Through overfishing and illegal fishing, these vessels have stolen artisanal fishing communities’ fish and futures, all to feed people far away.

With little economic mobility, many have been forced to make the dangerous journey across the ocean to Tenerife in search of new opportunities. Many do not survive.

This is the story we tell in our documentary “Adrift: Senegal’s coastal crisis and the deadly route to Europe.”

Migration is one of the most heated issues of our time, but the voices of impacted people are often forgotten and overlooked. Help us spread this story even further by taking a minute to vote.

🎬 Watch the full film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTCAh9OOI3M

01/04/2026

This week at the Liberia National Fisheries Investment Conference, we were encouraged to see H.E. Joseph Boakai Sr., President of Liberia and Hon. Emelia Arthur, Ghana’s Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, express their commitment to working together to build a blue economy with sustainability, science, and social inclusion at its heart.

We look forward to continuing our work with both countries to support their efforts towards sustainable, legal and ethical fisheries.

Read more ⬇️

28/03/2026

🎬 Our film “Adrift” is up for a Smiley Charity Film Award - vote for us now!

“I have a family who only knows the sea.”

Abdou comes from a long line of artisanal fishers. However, because of the collapse of Senegal’s fisheries, his family and community can no longer sustain their traditional livelihoods.

With no other options, he took the deadly journey across the sea from Senegal to Spain in search of new opportunities. In Tenerife, he has built a strong community from neighbours and new friends who also successfully made the journey.

His apartment is a constant hub of activity, where people who have established new lives in Tenerife come to relax, talk, support one another, and share meals. However, misses his family and hometown of Joal-Fadiouth.

Environmental injustices and the voices of migrants like Abdou are too often overlooked by the global community. We appreciate your support in amplifying this story - your vote matters!