Legacy: IUU Fishing
The EU must do more to block illegal seafood products from the EU market
European Court of Auditors determines that there are effective EU rules in place to prevent illegal fishing and to stop illegally-caught seafood from ending up on European dinner plates. However, the rules are undermined by a lack of effort from Member States, including a failure to impose deterrent sanctions. Because of the uneven implementation by … Read more
Spain fines fishing vessels for turning off mandatory location tracker, following Oceana analysis
As a result of data provided by Oceana, the Spanish government sanctioned two Spanish fishing vessels, Releixo and Egaluze, with a fine of 20.000 euros for turning off their automatic identification systems (AIS) on several occasions without cause, which is illegal for Spanish fishing vessels. During the 4-year period between 2012 and 2016, the two … Read more
Electronic monitoring devices enhance safety at sea and traceability for small-scale fishing fleets
Despite being an invaluable resource for human livelihoods, the ocean is under immense pressure with growing threats hitting from multiple fronts. Overfishing, illegal fishing, marine habitat destruction, climate change, and pollution all disrupt the delicate balance needed to preserve aquatic ecosystems, and with it the livelihood of coastal communities, especially artisanal fishers who depend on … Read more
Oceana expedition to Alboran Sea uncovers underwater oasis and ‘wasteland’
Gathered data will also support advocacy efforts to ban bottom trawling in European Marine Protected Areas Single-use plastics, abandoned fishing gear, and untreated waste most common pollutants found in seven-day expedition Madrid – Oceana concluded its expedition to the Alboran Sea (South of Spain), where the organisation gathered first-hand evidence of plastic pollution and bottom … Read more
MEPs and the EU Fisheries Control Coalition call on Fisheries Ministers to digitalise the fishing sector
Ahead of a key negotiating meeting scheduled for the 21st of June, key Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) and the EU Fisheries Control Coalition call on the Member States to be ambitious in requiring the installation of vessel tracking systems for all EU fishing vessels, as well as cameras on vessels at high risk … Read more
EU regulation prevents abusive reflagging, but profits from illegal fishing can still enter EU – new eNGO study
The EU has addressed loopholes that previously allowed its fishing vessels to rapidly and frequently change flags to evade fisheries laws, a new assessment by the EU IUU Fishing Coalition* has found. The work evaluates the effectiveness of the Sustainable Management of External Fishing Fleets (SMEFF) Regulation – an EU law adopted in 2018 for … Read more
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
