IUU Fishing Archives

Oceana denounces a pirate fishing vessel that is illegally receiving provisions today in Spain

Today, the international marine conservation organization Oceana informed the Spanish government, the European Commission and the Northeast Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC) that the Eros II (ex Furabolos), a fishing vessel blacklisted for Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing, is getting provisions in the harbour of Santa Eugenia de Ribeira, in Galicia, Spain. According to European … Read more

Italian driftnets: illegal fishing continues

The use of driftnets to capture large pelagic species is illegal because they are a threat to the conservation of various species of cetaceans, sea turtles and sharks. The first measures against the use of this fishing gear were adopted by the United Nations more than 15 years ago. These nets, however, known as “walls … Read more

Thonaille: The use of driftnets by the French fleet in the Mediterranean

In 1989, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) agreed a resolution to establish an international moratorium from 1992 on the use of driftnets on the high seas. It was the first worldwide measure adopted against a specific fishing technique. As a result of this decision, several governments established laws to comply with the UNGA mandate. … Read more

EU Court of Justice has ruled against Italy for continued use of driftnets

Oceana and MarViva welcome today’s judgment by the EU Court of Justice which has found Italy in breach of EU law for continuing to use driftnets, a fishing gear banned since 2002. Driftnets are a serious threat to the conservation of endangered species in the Mediterranean. This case was finally taken to the Court in … Read more

Oceana warns about loopholes in the European Union fight against IUU fishing

The international conservation organization Oceana welcomes yesterday’s publication of EU regulation 1010/2009 that lays out rules for the implementation of a community system to prevent, deter and eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. The EU regulation against IUU fishing foresees that fish imports to the European Union must be accompanied by catch certificates, validated … Read more

Adrift! Swordfish and driftnets in the Mediterranean Sea

In 2008, Oceana and MarViva collaborated in a campaign to definitively eliminate the use of driftnets in the Mediterranean. Banned by the United Nations more than 15 years ago, this gear is still being used and constitutes a serious threat for cetaceans, turtles and sharks. This fishery mainly targets the already overexploited swordfish stock which … Read more

Oceana denounces Xunta de Galicia insists to grant €4 million subsidies to fishing pirates

Today the international marine conservation organization Oceana is publishing a case study with two letters, revealing that the European Commission any direct responsibility for subsidies, to spend under the European Fisheries Fund for a company, closely linked to IUU fishing (Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported) and the Xunta de Galicia find no legal reason for not … Read more

Stopping Illegal Driftnets

Oceana issued a report to the European Commission and the general public on the continued use of illegal driftnets in the Mediterranean. This report is the last of a series resulting from years of Oceana work against the use of this illegal fishing gear and the fraud in subsidies. Oceana’s efforts contributed toward a judgment … Read more

The European Court of Justice formally ruled against France for its failure to control the illegal use by its fleet of driftnets in the Mediterranean.

The Court also formally denied France’s request to consider future exemptions for its fleet from the EU driftnet ban. In Italy, the Calabrian prosecutor formally charged several driftnetters for illegal activities and has since kept them ashore under house arrest.

Banning Mediterranean driftnetting

After Oceana showed that some fishing ships continued to use illegal fishing gear, the European Court of Justice rejected further requests by the French government for exemptions from the EU ban on driftnetting in the Mediterranean Sea. This ruling spares 25,000 juvenile bluefin tuna caught annually in the driftnets, along with thousands of other types … Read more