Ecuadorian fishing industry groups have partnered to create a new national fishing union. 

The new organization, the Unión de Pescadores y Acuicultores del Ecuador, was announced on 18 June at the South Pacific Expopesca Convention in Guayaquil, Ecuador.

Representatives of the founding organizations, which included the National Federation of Artisanal Fishing Cooperatives of Ecuador (FENACOPEC), the Foundation for Tuna Conservation and Responsible Fishing (TUNACONS), the Corporation of Artisanal Fishing Organizations of the Galapagos (CORPAG), the Association of Whitefish Exporters (ASOEXPEBLA), and the National Chamber of Fisheries (CNP), attended the event to launch the new union. 

According to Ecuadorian national daily El Universo, the new organization stated that it would welcome all stakeholders operating formally in fishing and aquaculture and hopes to represent the sector in both public and private arenas, promote favorable legislation and policies, champion sustainability in the sector, and encourage training and innovation, as well as help to resolve disputes within the sector and beyond. 

The union will be composed of a general assembly, a board of directors, and an executive director and have formal processes for the incorporation of new members. 

In a release about the news, TUNACONS Director Guillermo Morán said that the organization of a new fishing union was “a historic step toward strengthening the articulation and representation of the common interests of a strategic sector for socioeconomic growth, food security, and the sustainable use of the country's marine and coastal ecosystems."

Source - https://www.seafoodsource.com