Driving Improvements in Fisheries Governance Globally: Impact of the EU IUU Carding Scheme on Belize, Guinea, Solomon Islands and Thailand

The European Union’s Regulation establishing a Community system to prevent, deter and eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing is a world-leading legal instrument designed to stop the flow of IUU-caught fish entering the EU market. One key component of the so-called ‘IUU Regulation’ is the EU’s cooperation and ongoing dialogues with third countries, through … Read more

Paper Parks in Spain – Bottom trawling inside marine protected areas

Summary Spain has an extensive network of marine protected areas covering more than 13% of its marine surface area. These areas have been designated to protect very rich and varied biodiversity, but their management is inadequate. In most of these areas, which form part of the Natura 2000 network, the status of the habitats and … Read more

Was Article 11 of the CFP doomed to fail?

Executive Summary The EU has set out strong objectives for marine protection in its waters. This began with the adoption of the Habitats Directive in 1992 and has been continually re-emphasised in later policy outlines, the latest being the 2030 Biodiversity Strategy which sets a target of protecting 30% of the marine habitat with 10% … Read more

Joint NGO recommendations on Baltic Sea fishing opportunities for 2022

1. Introduction In October 2021, EU fisheries ministers will agree on fishing opportunities in the Baltic Sea for 2022. As the deadline to end overfishing by 2020 at the latest as legally prescribed by Article 2(2) of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP)1 has passed, all fishing limits must be in line with sustainable exploitation rates. … Read more