Iván López van der Veen has been elected president of the International Coalition of Fisheries Associations (ICFA).
His appointment was unanimously agreed among all ICFA members, who represent fishing associations from 24 countries on all continents. Iván López van der Veen takes over the role from Javier Garat, general secretary of the Spanish Fisheries Confederation (CEPESCA) and president of the European employers’ association Europêche, who has chaired the organisation for the last nine years.
He is currently general director of Vigo company Pesquera Ancora, plus he chairs the European Union’s Long Distance Advisory Council (LDAC), as well as the European Bottom Fishing Alliance (EBFA), and is a member of the board of directors of Europêche and vice president of CEPESCA.
Iván López van der Veen begins his term at ICFA by raising the commitment to the sustainable use of marine resources for their contribution to global food security and to science-based fisheries conservation and management practices.
‘It is an honour that my fellow members of the coalition have appointed me to chair it. I take over from Javier Garat and assume the position reiterating ICFA’s commitment to the global fishing sector and determined to continue working as a team for the sustainable future of our activity in every respect.’
The appointment was decided during the meeting of the General Assembly held by the coalition in Rome, where the main challenges of the fishing sector on a global scale were also discussed. The meeting addressed, among other issues, the importance of the fight against illegal fishing, the role of marine spatial planning, human capital in fishing, bottom fishing, decarbonisation of the fleet, climate change and the nutritional aspects of fish and seafood consumption.
