Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing Archives

Call for the GFCM to increase transparency and effectively tackle non-compliance cases and IUU fishing

Ahead of the forty-sixth session of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) in Split, Croatia Oceana, together with Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation, ClientEarth, Environmental Justice Foundation, MedReAct, Pew Charitable Trust, and WWF, who work together to protect the Mediterranean Sea against the impacts of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, are calling on … Read more

Ensuring companies address adverse environmental impacts in their value chains: The case of illegal fishing

Summary The EU’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) will introduce obligations on companies to conduct environmental and human rights due diligence in relation to their operations, subsidiaries, and value chains. This briefing calls for the definition of adverse environmental impacts within CSDDD to sufficiently cover a broad range of impacts, in line with other … Read more

EU Requires Tracking Systems for All Its Fishing Vessels

The European Commission, the European Parliament, and the Council agreed a new law that requires all European Union (EU) fishing vessels, including 49,000 small-scale vessels, to install and use tracking systems by 2030 at the latest. Tracking systems have numerous benefits for the ocean, including promoting sustainable fisheries by increasing transparency about fishing activities. Simultaneously, … Read more

Cutting the lines to IUU fishing: Five actions governments can take

Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing is a global phenomenon that depletes fish stocks, harms local communities and marine ecosystems, creates unfair market competition, and deprives governments of billions of dollars in tax revenue each year. IUU fishing is notoriously difficult to tackle, not least because it usually occurs far from shore. Pursuing violators can … Read more

European Parliament votes to bring EU fisheries into the digital era

After no less than 5 years of negotiations, the European Parliament has voted in favour of adopting the new EU fisheries Control Regulation After years of complex technical negotiations, the EU’s new system to ensure that fisheries rules are effectively applied has been formally adopted by the European Parliament. Cameras on vessels identified as being … Read more

Charting Progress since MedFish4Ever Declaration

As Mediterranean states of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) gather for the High-level Conference on MedFish4Ever Initiatives, it presents a valuable opportunity to reflect, assess, and implement lessons learned since the adoption of the Malta MedFish4Ever Declaration in 2017. This declaration on the future of Mediterranean fisheries adopted in Malta in 2017 … Read more

Oceana flags three ocean priorities to be addressed by the EU Spanish presidency

Spain needs to ensure the adoption of the Nature Restoration Law, and show leadership on files related to the energy transition, catch limits, and seafood traceability Oceana urges the Spanish presidency of the EU Council to prioritise ocean-related issues during the second half of 2023, considering the dire climate and biodiversity crises in EU waters … Read more

Oceana applauds landmark rules for EU fisheries control: vessel tracking will be compulsory for all fishing vessels

The organisation worked tirelessly with fishers, NGOs, and vessel-tracking companies to make this victory a reality The new Fisheries Control Regulation will benefit the ocean and its ecosystems as well as EU fishers Brussels.- Oceana applauds the approval by the Member States’ representatives and the Fisheries Committee of the European Parliament of the new Fisheries … Read more

European Commission Releases Public Database Disclosing Activities of EU Vessels Fishing Outside of EU Waters

Following campaigning by Oceana and its allies, the European Commission released a public database that allows anyone to search for information about EU-flagged vessels authorized to fish outside of European Union (EU) waters. As a measure to increase transparency, the database publishes information on each vessel, including: what waters it is authorized to fish outside … Read more

Blue Manifesto: The roadmap to a healthy ocean in 2030

This report reviews the progress –if any– on the milestones of the Blue Manifesto, the roadmap to a healthy ocean by 2030. This third assessment looks at the milestones set for 2022 and updates the milestones for 2021 and 2020. When comparing the scoring between these three years, it is clear that there is a … Read more