Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing Archives

Oceana uncovers dozens of cases of illegal fishing in protected areas in the Mediterranean

Version française | Versione italiana Oceana launched today a report uncovering 41 potential cases of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing in the Mediterranean Sea using data from Global Fishing Watch. The findings were submitted and discussed at two governmental meetings of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM)1, during which countries failed to provide clarification … Read more

Building a GFCM framework to combat IUU fishing

Monitor, control and surveillance are crucial to ensure proper fisheries management and to rebuild stocks, in particular in the Mediterranean Sea, where 80% of the stocks are considered to be outside biologically safe limits. The General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) has taken significant steps in the last years towards reversing this situation, including … Read more

The Mediterranean: Illegal fishing in our backyard?

Being one of the busiest seas in the world, the Mediterranean is also a sea where illicit fishing activities still go unnoticed and thus unpunished…until now. Most of the cases of illegal fishing that make news in Europe seem to happen in far flung regions such as the Pacific or even the Antarctic. But such … Read more

Oceana calls for pirate fishing to be made an environmental crime

World Environment Day & International Day for the Fight Against IUU Fishing Today, Oceana is sending out an SOS to urge national governments to make pirate fishing a punishable environmental crime. Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing – also known as pirate fishing – is a widespread and illicit practice worth tens of billions of euros … Read more

Portugal as an entry point for high-risk fishing products destined for Spain

The main objective of the EU’s Regulation to end IUU (illegal, unreported and unregulated) fishing is to prevent, deter and eliminate trade of fisheries products originating from IUU fishing activity and entering every year our EU markets. The IUU Regulation is the most ambitious law to fight IUU fishing globally and this year we celebrate … Read more

Increased imports of seafood products to Italy following the yellow-carding of third-countries

The main objective of the EU Regulation to end IUU (illegal, unreported and unregulated) fishing is to prevent, deter and eliminate trade of fisheries products originating from IUU fishing activity and stop their access to the EU markets. The IUU Regulation is the most ambitious law to fight IUU fishing globally and this year we … Read more

The Netherlands as a transit hub for high risk products entering the rest of the EU

The main objective of the EU’s Regulation to end IUU (illegal, unreported and unregulated) fishing is to prevent, deter and eliminate trade of fisheries products originating from IUU fishing activity and stop them from entering every year our EU markets. The IUU Regulation is the most ambitious law to fight IUU fishing globally and this … Read more

The impact of the EU IUU Regulation on seafood trade flows

A core aim of the European Union’s (EU) Regulation to end illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing – Regulation (EC) No. 1005/2008 – is to prevent, deter and eliminate trade in fisheries products deriving from IUU fishing into the EU. Prior to the adoption of the IUU Regulation in 2008, approximately 500,000 tonnes of illegal … Read more

The impact of the IUU Regulation on seafood trade flows

How has the EU action against illegal fishing changed our seafood trade flows? And what do these trade patterns tell us? Ten years after the adoption of the EU IUU Regulation, a new report examines how the EU’s carding system has impacted the flow of seafood products into and within the EU Source: EJF, Oceana, … Read more

The impact of the EU IUU Regulation on seafood trade flows – Highlights

How has the EU action against illegal fishing changed our seafood trade flows? And what do these trade patterns tell us? Just over 10 years ago, it was estimated1 that 500,000 tonnes of illegally caught seafood products were entering our EU markets every year. An illicit activity valued at EUR 1.1 billion that was not only damaging local communities and … Read more