Iván López van der Veen, new president of the International Coalition of Fisheries Associations (ICFA).
Photo: Confederación Española de Pesca (CEPESCA).
Iván López van der Veen of Spain has been unanimously elected as the new president of the International Coalition of Fisheries Associations (ICFA), a global organization representing the interests of the fishing sector in international forums.
He succeeds Javier Garat, who is also Secretary General of the Confederación Española de Pesca (CEPESCA) and president of Europêche, who has led ICFA since 2016.
López van der Veen, a professional with 25 years of experience in the fishing industry, brings expertise from roles across South America, Africa, and Europe in the wild catch and processing sectors.
He is currently the General Manager of Pesquera Ancora, a Vigo, Galicia-based cod fishing company, and also holds prominent roles as chair of the EU Long Distance Advisory Council (LDAC) and the European Bottom Fishing Alliance (EBFA). He is also a board member of Europêche and Vice President of CEPESCA.
A CEPESCA press release stated that López van der Veen begins his term at ICFA with "a commitment to promoting the sustainable use of marine resources for global food security and to advancing conservation and science-based fisheries management practices".
“It is an honor that my colleagues, members of the coalition, have chosen me to lead it. I take over from Javier Garat, assuming the role with a renewed commitment to ICFA’s support for the global fishing sector and a determination to continue working as a team for the sustainable future of our activities in all aspects," he said.
The appointment was confirmed during the coalition’s General Assembly meeting held in Rome, where key challenges facing the global fishing sector were also discussed. Topics included combating illegal fishing, marine spatial planning, the role of human capital in the fishing industry, bottom trawling, fleet decarbonization, climate change, and seafood consumption.
About the ICFA
The International Coalition of Fisheries Associations (ICFA) is a coalition of the national fish and seafood industry associations from the world’s major fishing nations. The group was formed in 1988 to provide decision makers a unified voice on global fish and seafood issues, and currently includes 24 seafood industry association members from Europe, North America, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Africa and Latin America.
