Applications Invited for Story Grants on Fisheries Transparency

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About the Organization

Created in 2004, EJN is now a truly global network of reporters and media outlets in virtually every region of the world.

Environmental and climate change reporting is now more urgent than ever, but journalists face myriad and mounting challenges in covering these topics. The media industry is in crisis, and misinformation is on the rise. Reporters working for cash-strapped news agencies often don't have the resources to research a story properly; freelancers, even less so. That’s where EJN comes in.

About the Grant

Nearly 90% of global marine fish stocks are fully exploited or overfished—a result of poor management of fish stocks and illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. This impacts not only ocean biodiversity but also the 600 million people who depend on fisheries for their livelihoods, and the more than 3 billion people for whom seafood is a critical part of food security.

In 2023, the Coalition for Fisheries Transparency—an international community of civil society organizations—launched the Global Charter for Fisheries Transparency, which pinpoints the most essential policy priorities needed to combat fisheries mismanagement, illegal fishing and human rights abuses at sea.

However, there remains more to be done. Data on fisheries remains unreliable, often incomplete and out of date, and multilateral agreements and charters have faced implementation challenges, failing to achieve the oversight and reform necessary to ensure ocean health. One way we can achieve greater awareness of the issue, the charter and improved fisheries transparency itself is through quality, often localized, journalism.

To fill this gap, EJN is offering five story grants with support from the Oak Foundation to help build the capacity of journalists to report on and improve their coverage of fisheries transparency issues. In addition to funding, selected journalists will receive support from experienced mentors throughout the story production process.

Story themes

We welcome story ideas that focus on the following themes, including, but not limited to:

• Fisheries management: The impact of companies not reporting catch volumes and lack of government transparency on fishing laws and agreements, subsidies, stock assessments and financial contributions.
• Fishing vessel activities at sea: The challenges of monitoring and regulating vessel activities, including trawling, underreporting catches, transshipment, unauthorized fishing in restricted areas, lack of information on vessel ownership and the complex management of multinational fishing fleets.
• Supply chains: The challenges of verifying seafood sustainability claims, monitoring the certification landscape and tracking where seafood comes from and how it gets to a consumer's plate.
• Technology solutions for increased transparency: The innovations being made in fields such as generative AI, satellite tracking, DNA testing and more to enable better vessel tracking and species and origin verification.
• Policy solutions for increased transparency: Global, regional and national frameworks, such as the Charter and others, and whether they are effective in pushing governments to increase transparency in the fisheries sector.

Eligibility

• Applicants can be from any coastal country. For the purposes of this grant call, we will only be focusing on marine fisheries, not freshwater.
• We are particularly interested in cross-border and transboundary stories, and groups of journalists are encouraged to apply. However, the application must be made in the name of one lead applicant. Lead applicants are responsible for communicating with EJN and receiving funds on the group’s behalf, if awarded.
• For the purposes of this grant opportunity, we will only be accepting applications in English. Unfortunately, we do not have the capacity to consider applications in other languages at this time. Applicants must either have a working understanding of English or have a translator available to assist with communication with Internews staff.
• Applications are open to journalists working in any medium (online, print, television, radio) and other expert media practitioners with professional reporting experience. We welcome applications from early-career journalists and experienced reporters with a track record of covering ocean issues. We encourage applications from freelance reporters and staff from all types of media organizations—international, national, local and community-based.
• Applicants are required to be transparent about the use of generative AI tools, if any, to revise their proposals. EJN reserves the right to disqualify applicants from consideration if they have been found to have engaged in unethical or improper professional conduct, including, but not limited to, submitting AI-generated content as their own.

How to Apply

Click the 'Apply now' button at the top of the page.

If you have an existing account, you'll need to log in. Since we recently updated our website, you might have to reset your password by clicking the “Forgot password?” link in the log in page. If you don’t have an account, you must register by clicking “Log in” on the top right of the page and click the “Sign up” link at the bottom of the page that opens. Click here for detailed instructions on how to create an account, and here for detailed instructions on how to reset your password.

If you start the application and want to come back and complete it later, you can click 'Save Draft.' To return to the draft, you'll need to go back to the opportunity and click 'Apply now' again to finalise the application.

Applications should provide a detailed budget in an Excel spreadsheet with justification for the amount requested. Download the budget template now by clicking on this link.

All applicants are required to provide a signed letter of support from their editor, explicitly stating that the media outlet will publish the stories produced as a result of this grant.

Applicants will also need to submit two samples of stories or links to relevant work.

Application Deadline: January 15, 2026, 11:59 PM (Pacific/Niue)

For more information please check the Link

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Tags Environment and Sustainability Others