Increasing International Fisheries Transparency Archives

Oceana exposes complex ownership structures behind illegal fishing and demands transparency at Our Ocean

The organisation urges governments to collect and make public beneficial ownership information for all fishing vessels Shell companies, opaque financial tools and flags of convenience are some of the strategies used to conceal the identity of fishing vessel owners In a new analysis, Oceana exposes the complexity of hidden ownership structures behind fishing vessels. The results reveal how individuals behind illegal fishing operations deliberately conceal their identities through complex corporate … Read more

Foreign beneficial ownership of fishing vessels in Africa

A vessel’s flag indicates where it is registered, but does not reveal who ultimately owns it, profits from its activities, or is responsible for its actions. True accountability depends on identifying beneficial owners, the individuals who ultimately own, control, and profit from a fishing vessel. Without this information, authorities struggle to enforce laws and hold … Read more

Hidden owners, hidden crimes: why beneficial ownership transparency matters for fisheries enforcement

Fisheries are central to the socio-economic stability of coastal communities, supporting livelihoods, food security, and cultural heritage worldwide. These benefits, however, are undermined by illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, which the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) describes as “one of the greatest threats to marine ecosystems”. Beyond depleting marine resources, … Read more

Oceana calls on Cypriot government to disclose hidden ownership of high‑risk fishing vessels

The organisation found links between Cypriot-owned vessels and jurisdictions associated with lax regulations Holding the EU Council Presidency, Cyprus has an opportunity to turn political commitments into practical measures and strengthen the EU’s credibility in tackling illegal fishing Oceana calls on the Cypriot government to collect information on Cypriot companies that own fishing vessels in non-EU countries to close … Read more

ClientEarth and Oceana take Spain’s inaction over illegal fishing threat in West Africa to Supreme Court

ClientEarth and Oceana have appealed before Spain’s Supreme Court after authorities declined to investigate Spanish vessels suspected of illegal fishing in West African waters. The case, now being appealed from the Superior Court of Madrid, focuses on vessels owned by Spanish companies but operating under foreign flags in the waters of Senegal and Guinea Bissau. … Read more

Flags of convenience: a threat to fisheries transparency

As one of the world’s biggest importers of seafood products, the European Union has become a global leader in the efforts to combat illegal fishing. Yet an important gap remains unaddressed by European authorities. EU citizens and companies own fishing vessels that operate under non-EU flags, including Flags of Convenience (FoC). These are issued by states with weak fisheries monitoring, control, and surveillance mechanisms. What are flags … Read more

NGOs urge the European Commission to end the use of ‘flags of convenience’ in fisheries

New European Commission study reveals how secret vessel ownership undermines the fight against illegal fishing Each fishing vessel must be registered in a country, and ‘flies its flag’. A new study by the European Commission confirms that EU fishing companies flag their vessels to countries with minimal disclosure requirements on vessel information and beneficial ownership structures, making them ideal for concealing illegal and unsustainable fishing activities. This practice is closely … Read more

Who in Europe profits from fishing operations overseas?

What is beneficial ownership? Beneficial ownership refers to the people or businesses that ultimately own, control and financially profit from fishing vessels’ operations, even if their names do not appear on official ownership documents. To avoid scrutiny, many fishing companies operate under the so-called flags of convenience, countries with limited control over their fleets, weak … Read more

New research sheds light on hidden ownership of the world’s industrial fishing fleets

Companies in just 10 countries, including Spain and the Netherlands, control more than half of all large-scale fishing vessels When EU- owned but foreign-flagged vessels are taken into account, the number of vessels in the EU’s distant water fleet more than doubles A new report by EqualSea Lab of the University of Santiago de Compostela … Read more

Geographical Mislabelling of cod: A Threat to Transparency

New research has uncovered a significant issue in the seafood industry: geographical mislabelling in cod. The study, led by Marine Cusa, former research assistant at Liverpool John Moores University, and currently Marine Policy Advisor at Oceana in Europe and researcher at The Technical University of Denmark, analysed over 108 Atlantic cod products and found that … Read more