Report | June 9, 2025
The EU’s hidden fishing fleet: How foreign vessel ownership is undermining Europe’s fight against illegal fishing
The European Union (EU) has long been a leader in efforts to combat illegal fishing. As the world’s largest market for seafood and home to one of the largest fishing fleets globally, the EU plays a pivotal role in shaping how fisheries are managed and monitored worldwide. To date, the EU has developed one of the world’s most robust systems for combatting illegal fishing. It is, with the US, the only market currently able to issue seafood trade bans to sanction countries that fail to tackle illegal fishing. Import documentation, verified by the exporting state, is required for all seafood products entering the EU.
But there’s a blind spot. EU citizens and companies own and profit from a significant number of fishing vessels registered, or flagged, to non-EU countries. There is no obligation for EU citizens and companies to register their ownership of such vessels with EU authorities, which means that most of it remains hidden from public view. This lack of oversight allows profits from foreign fishing activities to flow back to the EU – whether or not those activities are sustainable, ethical, and legal. These foreign-flagged vessels are not subject to the same scrutiny or transparency requirements that govern EU[1]flagged vessels, creating a loophole that undermines the EU’s fight against illegal fishing