Illegal fishing

Selling fish caught illegally by non-EU fishing boats could be made more difficult, under a proposal to be presented by the European Commission next Wednesday (17 October).

The communication on illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing suggests making all non-EU vessels hoping to dock at an EU port prove that they have the right to any fish on board and that their flag is correctly registered. Fishermen flying a non-EU flag are often tempted to sell illegally-caught fish in the member states, according to the Commission. The EU has one of the largest fisheries markets in the world.

"We already have ways of monitoring EU waters and catches," said a spokeswoman for the Commission’s fisheries department. "This is about closing the door to landings and imports of products caught illegally outside the EU."

Most of the problem ships are manned by poor, non-EU fishermen who have caught the IUU fish outside EU waters. Many will be flying so-called flags of convenience, used to take advantage of a country’s lax registration requirements.

Markus Knigge of environmental group WWF said that his group welcomed plans for an IUU communication, but that proper enforcement would be a challenge.

WWF says a comprehensive database is needed to track information on vessels and whether they are guilty of any infringements before reaching port.

Selling fish caught illegally by non-EU fishing boats could be made more difficult, under a proposal to be presented by the European Commission next Wednesday (17 October).