el Kratos GRT: illegal fishing

Εμφάνιση αναρτήσεων με ετικέτα illegal fishing. Εμφάνιση όλων των αναρτήσεων

Παρασκευή 30 Ιανουαρίου 2015

EU to consider lifting fish import ban on Sri Lanka

The European Commission has offered Sri Lanka assistance to meet the regulatory requirements that would enable an early lifting of ban on fish exports from Sri Lanka to the EU, the Sri Lankan External Affairs Ministry said on Thursday.

The External Affairs Ministry said the decision was made following talks held between Sri Lanka and the European Commission.

Sri Lanka's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mangala Samaraweera, was in Brussels this week in an attempt to have the ban on Sri Lankan fish imports lifted.

Foreign Minister Samaraweera met Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders and members of the European Parliament.

He also held talks with the European commissioner for environment, maritime affairs and fisheries and the European commissioner for international cooperation and development.

Discussions focused on strengthening Sri Lanka's relations with the European Union and Belgium, the steps Sri Lanka has taken and will take to comply with international fishing regulations and the process of requalifying for tariff concessions, the External Affairs Ministry said.

"During the fruitful meetings the European Commission offered Sri Lanka assistance in meeting the regulatory requirements that would enable an early lifting of the ban on fish exports to the EU and displayed strong interest in expanding socio-economic ties and development programmes," the Ministry said.

The EU had imposed the ban after Sri Lanka continued to violate international regulations on deep sea fishing.

Sri Lanka, under the previous government, was given time to remedy the situation before the ban took effect this month, but the government had failed to meet the requirements.
Source: Xinhua - globaltimes.cn
29-30/1/15
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Κυριακή 21 Δεκεμβρίου 2014

A dynamite catch - Global Times

Two foreign fishing boats suspected of conducting illegal fishing activities are blown up by the Indonesian navy in Ambon Bay, Indonesia, on Sunday. The destruction of the Papua New Guinea-flagged vessels follows a government ruling requiring the sinking of almost all foreign ships illegally fishing in the waters of Indonesia. Photo: IC
A dynamite catch - Global Times

Τρίτη 14 Οκτωβρίου 2014

Illegal fisheries: green cards for five countries, but red card for Sri Lanka. (EC -14.10.14)

European Commission, Press release, Brussels, 14 October 2014:

In its fight against illegal fishing activities worldwide, the European Commission has today proposed to ban imports of fisheries products from Sri Lanka to tackle the commercial benefits stemming from illegal fishing. The move comes after four years of intense dialogue with the country after which it could not demonstrate that it sufficiently addressed illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. In contrast, the Commission today confirmed that Belize, Fiji, Panama, Togo and Vanuatu, which had received warnings at the same time as Sri Lanka, have successfully taken measures to tackle illegal fishing. Consequently, the Commission proposes to lift the trade measures imposed in March this year against Belize.

European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Maria Damanaki, said: "Our policy of resolute cooperation is yielding results. Five countries receive today our appreciation for getting serious on illegal fishing. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for Sri Lanka. I hope that the message we are sending today will be a wake-up call for this country."

Sri Lanka needs to address illegal fishing

According to the Commission's assessment, Sri Lanka has not sufficiently addressed the shortcomings in its fisheries control system identified in November 2012. The main weaknesses include shortcomings in the implementation of control measures, a lack of deterrent sanctions for the high seas fleet, as well as lacking compliance with international and regional fisheries rules.

As a result, the Commission tables a ban on fisheries products caught by Sri Lankan vessels being imported into the EU. In order to avoid disrupting ongoing commercial contracts, the full trade measures will only come into force in mid-January 2015, which is three months after the decision is published in the EU's Official Journal.

Progress confirmed for Belize, Fiji, Panama, Togo and Vanuatu

The Commission has today also proposed to remove Belize from the list of non-cooperating third countries in the fight against illegal fishing and to end the trade measures imposed against the country in March 2014. Belize has demonstrated its commitment to reforming its legal framework and adopting a new set of rules for inspection, control and monitoring of vessel. The Council will take a decision in this respect.

In a similar vein, the Commission also announced the termination of steps against Belize, Fiji, Panama, Togo and Vanuatu who all received a formal warning in November 2012. The countries have taken concrete measures in addressing established shortcomings and shown commitment to complete structural reforms in order to address illegal fishing.

The Commission has prolonged the cooperation with Korea, Curacao and Ghana until January 2015. Despite some progress achieved in these countries, which have received formal warnings in November 2013, more time is needed in these countries to make changes.

Commissioner Damanaki said: "The improvements Belize made as regards its fisheries control system since its 'red card' show that the EU's fight against illegal fishing works. The formalised cooperation with the EU has helped the country to move towards sustainable fisheries. The same goes for Fiji, Panama, Togo and Vanuatu. These countries' positive attitude should serve as a template to other countries in similar situations."

http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-14-1132_en.htm?locale=en

14/10/14

EU warns Philippines, Papua New Guinea over illegal fishing
- Commission warns Philippines and Papua New Guinea over insufficient action to fight illegal fishing...
- EU Rolls Out Trade Bans in Global Crackdown On Illegal Fishing

EU takes concrete action against illegal fishing. -European Commission

Τετάρτη 11 Ιουνίου 2014

EU warns Philippines, Papua New Guinea over illegal fishing

The European Commission on Tuesday warned the Philippines and Papua New Guinea over insufficient action to fight illegal fishing, threatening them with further trade sanctions, according to an EU statement.

Both countries identified as non-cooperative in the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, are being given a yellow card warning and a reasonable time to respond and take measures to rectify the situation.

European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Maria Damanaki said, "If half of the Western Pacific's tuna is exported to the EU, we cannot ignore illegal fishing activities in this region."

She urged the Philippines and Papua New Guinea to fight the practice "which puts the livelihoods of fishermen at risk", adding that "in the end, sustainability of fisheries in the Pacific Ocean means sustainability here in Europe, on our plates."

The Commission has also proposed an action plan for each country to address the shortcomings, such as lack of system of sanctions to deter IUU activities or lack of actions to address deficiencies in monitoring, controlling and surveillance of fisheries.

The countries need to amend their legal framework to combat IUU fishing, improve control and monitoring actions and take a proactive role in complying with international law rules, the statement said.

Should the situation not improve within six months, the EU could take further steps, which could entail trade sanctions on fisheries imports.

The decision is based on the EU's IUU Regulation, which entered into force in 2010, aiming at allowing access to the EU market only to fisheries products that have been certified as legal by the flag State concerned.
Sources: Xinhua - globaltimes.cn
11/6/14
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EU takes concrete action against illegal fishing. -European Commission

Δευτέρα 5 Μαΐου 2014

EU Rolls Out Trade Bans in Global Crackdown On Illegal Fishing

BANGKOK — Observers say the European Union is poised to hand South Korea a so-called "red card" next month unless Seoul is able to convince the EU fisheries commissioner that it is cracking down on illegal fishing by boats flying its flag.

South Korea, along with Ghana and Curacao, last year was handed a "yellow card" warning. Continuing violations by South Korean-flagged ships, many in waters off the coast of West Africa, could bring further sanctions this year.

Belize, Cambodia and Guinea, in March of this year, were penalized with the first-ever EU red cards for pirate fishing.

The red card means those countries cannot sell their seafood in EU countries nor fish in member countries' waters.

Steve Trent of the Environmental Justice Foundation, which tracks illegally caught fish heading to EU markets, praised the new tough regulation for Europe: "It's beginning to show its teeth. And that is what is happening with regard to [South] Korea. We are seeing the European Commission saying, 'you haven't done enough. What you have done doesn't satisfy us. And unless you do more there will be penalties.'"
EU Aims for Public Shaming in Crackdown on Illegal Fishing

Since 2010, the EJF has documented more than 200 cases of South Korean ships allegedly targeting high-value fish species in waters off West Africa. The organization says South Korean pirates routinely fish in protected areas, flee fisheries patrols, refuse to pay fines, cover their identification markings, transship fish illegally at sea and attack local fishermen. It says on some of the vessels, workers as young as 14 are forced to live and work at sea in deplorable conditions for months at a time.

If South Korea is given a red card, it will have repercussions beyond maritime commerce, contends the EJF's Trent.

"The other thing that happens is brand Korea gets some damage. This would be an international rebuke. It doesn't look good for the country," he says. "It's saying that they can't look after their own and their own responsibilities. And I think in some respects that is perhaps even more damaging for the country than the relatively modest embargo on trade exports."
Illegal Foreign Catches Still Enter US Seafood Market

A new study, published in the journal Marine Policy, on illegal, unreported and unregulated (IIU) fishing looks at seafood entering the United States. It finds 40 percent of the tuna from Thailand is illegal or unreported. That was also the case with 70 percent of salmon imports and 45 percent of pollock, both from China.

The lead author of the report, Pramod Ganapathiraju, a researcher at the Fisheries Center at the University of British Columbia, said the U.S. and other major seafood importing markets, such as the European Union, China, Japan and South Korea, see most of the product coming in through containers and cargo ships.

"The volumes are quite high. But, at the same time, the amount of manpower that is needed to make sure that illegal catches don't enter these markets is quite low in most of these importing countries," explained Ganapathiraju. "So they need to increase the manpower to improve monitoring, control and surveillance at their ports."

A 2009 government report found that only about two percent of seafood imports in the United States were being inspected at the ports. There is no public data for most other major import markets.

The U.S. Senate last month gave its approval to the 2009 U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization's Port State Measures agreement. It is designed to keep foreign vessels suspected of illegal fishing out of the ports of nations which have signed the pact. Ten coastal countries and the EU have already ratified it but similar approval from 14 others is still needed for the treaty to take effect.

The agreement as an affordable way to stop illegal fish from entering the global market, Long argues.

"The fisherman have to bring it to port. Therefore to focus on that rather than the expensive resources that you need to patrol out at sea or draw in space (satellite) surveillance, the ports are the obvious place," said Anthony Long, who runs the Ending Illegal Fishing Project for the Pew Charitable Trust. "It's definitely cost effective. So the developing countries will get a lot of benefit from the Port States Measures agreement."
Campaign Against Illegal Catches Finds Industry Allies

Long explains there are problems all along the seafood supply chain.

"I was surprised to find just how easy it is to manipulate the system," he said. "The U.S., the European Union, Japan, all big markets can start to change the shape of fishing by demanding clearer understanding of the chain of supply -- that supply from the moment the fish is caught to the moment it arrives on your plate."

Long, a retired British Royal Navy commander, noted that some seafood suppliers are becoming conscientious.

"Different suppliers are now getting very interested in the supply chain and providing that evidence to make their product a prime product that isn't going to be linked to bonded labor or tax evasion or over-fishing or any other illegal entity that tends to be linked to these illegal fishermen," said Long. "We're working with suppliers in order to make sure that we can build a system that they can use and present to their customers in a way the customers will understand."

American Richard Conniff, the author of Species Seekers: Heroes, Fools, and the Mad Pursuit of Life on Earth and other books related to animals, said more pressure needs to be applied on the distributors.

"The distributors are the bottleneck," said Conniff. "That's where most of the (sea)food comes into this country. And they are the ones who can stop it by insisting that all merchandise be traceable and that it all be legal."

Ganapathiraju at UBC said that during his research, they received a surprising amount of cooperation from distributors because they are not able obtain the same amount of fish year to year.

"The catches are being depleted. But the demand is going up in these export destinations. And they're not able to cope with the demand because there is so much over-fishing happening, as well as illegal fishing from other destinations," said Ganapathiraju. "That's the reason they're so open to discuss that."
Chinese Regulators Expected to Determine Global Approach

Activists, such as the EJF's Steve Trent, predict China -- with a huge and growing appetite for seafood -- will eventually be the most critical player when it comes to combating IUU fishing.

"The way the Chinese government and authorities act towards fisheries on a global platform in the future will determine much of everyone's policy," said Trent.

Conniff said China and other nations have little choice but to make changes or face dire ecological consequences.

"There's an incentive for China and for all these other countries to change and to change fast because at this point 85 percent of all fisheries are at or beyond their biological limits," he said.

Additional regulatory changes are being implemented to try to stem the tide.

Fishing vessels larger than 100 tons will have to acquire a unique identification number that will remain the same even if the boat changes names or flags.

There are also plans for a global satellite vessel monitoring system. It would be able to track vessels which switch off existing beacons identifying themselves and their positions when fishing in illegal waters or handing off their illicit catches.
http://www.voanews.com
5/5/14
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Maria Damanaki: FARMED IN THE EU. -LET’S TALK ABOUT SUSTAINABLE AQUACULTURE

EU takes concrete action against illegal fishing. -European Commission

Ευρωπαϊκή «κίτρινη κάρτα» σε 8 κράτη για παράνομη αλιεία

Εντείνει τα μέτρα κατά της παράνομης αλιείας η Κομισιόν

Πέμπτη 1 Μαΐου 2014

Maria Damanaki: FARMED IN THE EU. -LET’S TALK ABOUT SUSTAINABLE AQUACULTURE

Eating fish has many health benefits. It is good for the heart, packed with protein and is an excellent source of nutrients. But the demand for such healthy food grows. And we cannot meet this demand by simply fishing more from our wild fish stocks.

This is why fish farming can contribute to alleviate this pressure, by increasing the offer of sustainable seafood. And also of healthy seafood:
fish farmers have to follow EU environmental and health standards which are the strictest of the world. Besides, currently only 10% of our seafood consumption in the EU is farmed locally as we import the majority of the seafood we eat. But EU aquaculture provides us with fresh, locally farmed fish and seafood. And this is a great contribution to the development of our local economies.

Next week I’ll visit the Global Seafood Expo in Brussels to meet the stakeholders and talk about the promising sector of fish farming. And my pledge will be clear: European aquaculture is local, fresh and contributes to a sustainable future for European fisheries......Maria Damanaki's blog - European Commission
2/5/14
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EU takes concrete action against illegal fishing. -European Commission

Ευρωπαϊκή «κίτρινη κάρτα» σε 8 κράτη για παράνομη αλιεία

Εντείνει τα μέτρα κατά της παράνομης αλιείας η Κομισιόν

Invasive alien species: MEPs reach agreement with the Greek Presidency

Invasive alien species: "The damage and costs continue to increase"

Δευτέρα 24 Μαρτίου 2014

EU takes concrete action against illegal fishing. -European Commission

Following a Commission proposal, the Council of Ministers has today decided to list Belize, Cambodia and Guinea-Conakry as countries acting insufficiently against illegal fishing. After several warnings, measures will now come into effect against the three countries to tackle the commercial benefits stemming from illegal fishing. This means that imports into the EU of any fisheries products caught by vessels from these countries will now be banned, whilst EU vessels will not be allowed to fish in these countries' waters. It is the first time that measures of this type are adopted at EU level.

European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Maria Damanaki, welcomed the decision:

"These decisions are historic. They demonstrate that the EU is leading by example in the fight against illegal fishing. I want EU citizens to know that the fish they consume is sustainable, wherever it comes from. We are steadily moving in that direction. I hope that this blacklisting will act as a catalyst for Belize, Cambodia, and Guinea to step up their efforts and work with the international community to eliminate illegal fishing"

The decision is consistent with the EU's international commitment to the sustainable exploitation of fisheries resources at home and abroad. The EU's approach reflects the fact that illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing is a global criminal activity harmful not only to EU fishermen, but also to local communities in developing countries.

Background

Despite the Commission working closely with the authorities of Belize, Cambodia and Guinea to set up fisheries management and effective control measures, the three countries have still not addressed structural problems and have failed to show real commitment to tackling the problem of illegal fishing. After several warnings , the Commission therefore proposed to the Council to list the three countries as non-cooperating countries, in line with the EU IUU Regulation.

Today's decision by the Council means that fisheries products caught by vessels flying these countries' flags are now banned from being imported into the EU. EU vessels will also have to stop fishing in these waters. Other forms of cooperation, such as joint fishing operations or fisheries agreements with these countries will no longer be possible.

The EU is hereby enforcing its international commitments as laid down by the United Nations and the FAO. All of the identified countries have failed to fulfil their duties as flag, coastal, port or market states typically by disrespecting the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) or the United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement. (europa.eu)

24/3/14

Less is More: We Need a Global Strategy to End Fishing Overcapacity

The global ocean, from the coast to the high seas, is facing multiple threats. We rely on the ocean for food, for transport, for the very air we breathe, but the current systems in place for governing and managing its resources are not fit for purpose. As a result, fish stocks are being depleted, rich biodiversity is at risk and illegal fishing vessels threaten the food security of whole nations. It is our economies that suffer -- depletion of fish stocks alone costs the global economy an estimated $50 billion per year.

The root of the problem is fishing overcapacity: too many boats chasing too few fish. Most problematic are the thousands of powerful, modern boats, equipped with high-tech tools able to find fish almost anywhere. But the more fish these boats take out, the fewer fish there are that can reproduce, and the more fishers must turn to potent tools to find them.

To break this vicious circle, since the 1990s the EU has shifted away from expanding the EU fishing fleet and is instead focusing support in the opposite direction -- adapting it to natural resources. The EU's fleet has been reduced by 25 percent since 2000.

Fishing less can be economically smarter. Reducing pressure on fish populations enables them to recover and thrive, making fishing easier and increasing the industry's profits as well as the welfare of coastal communities. Europe badly needs smart economics like this right now, just as it needs a stable supply of fresh and healthy seafood. Globally, with 83 percent of high seas fishing being carried out by developed countries, the principle of the freedom of the high seas is manifestly inequitable.

Of course, scrapping fishing vessels is not the only, or even the best, way to reduce capacity. The solution must be a well-designed mix of structural and conservation tools, rights-based management systems, tighter controls and, especially, incentives for diversification. After all, boats that go out fishing can also go out collecting litter or be put to good use for tourism.

Nor can overcapacity be reversed without specifically dealing with the vast subsidies that have driven it -- both globally and in the EU. Global fisheries subsidies are estimated at approximately $35 billion a year, over $20 billion of which are capacity-enhancing. Without this distortion, many fishing enterprises would simply not be profitable, and other industries and jobs would emerge in their stead.

The recent reform of the EU's Common Fisheries Policy addresses all these issues and will help eradicate the remaining pockets of overcapacity in the European fleet. Subsidies have been redesigned to promote sustainable fisheries and prohibit any support that risks increasing capacity. The reform will also ensure that when European vessels fish outside EU waters they only fish within scientifically safe margins and only after the needs of nearby coastal state fleets have been met.

The EU is putting a stop to fishing overcapacity. Now this needs to happen at a global level. To achieve the right balance between fishing power and natural resources, all global actors need to pull together. International rules and processes exist but -- all too often -- only on paper and not in practice. These glaring gaps in ocean governance, especially on the high seas, were the motivation behind the creation of the Global Ocean Commission in 2013.

Some battles are being won, with annual quotas and capacity limits for Bluefin tuna in the Atlantic and Mediterranean now set in accordance with scientific advice, or the capacity freeze on tropical tunas in the Pacific. Other struggles persist, such as monitoring better compliance. With a third of all commercial fish stocks over-exploited and a further half fully exploited, it is disheartening to watch while some nations still heavily subsidize their vessel and processing capacity or continue to expand their fleets.

There is no shortage of rules and guidance: we have an FAO International Plan of Action on overcapacity; we have joint recommendations by regional organisations managing tuna on how to reduce and transfer capacity; and the World Trade Organization also has a mandate to negotiate rules to prevent harmful subsidies. But we badly need a stronger political thrust for these plans to be systematically enforced, for words on paper to be translated into action. The Global Ocean Commission is currently developing a set of cost-effective, pragmatic and politically feasible proposals for strengthening ocean governance and enforcement, and building a coalition able to act on them.

Action means using advanced technology to assess and monitor worldwide capacity, like a global record of all vessels based on a mandatory single system of vessel identification; it means official agreements and systems for enforcement able to impose strict sanctions; it can also mean voluntary and joint efforts by major fishing nations like the ones set up to combat illegal fishing.

Above all, we need a coherent and global approach to ocean governance and management that also encompasses development and trade policy.

It is high time the world addressed excessive global fishing power. This is why the European Commission is inviting Fisheries Ministers from around the globe to meet in Thessaloniki on 13 and 14 March 2014: to ride the momentum of the reforms in the EU and drive the international debate forward. Let's work together to make both our ecosystems and our economies sustainable.
http://blogs.ec.europa.eu/damanaki/less-is-more-we-need-a-global-strategy-to-end-fishing-overcapacity/
13/3/14
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Πέμπτη 15 Νοεμβρίου 2012

Ευρωπαϊκή «κίτρινη κάρτα» σε 8 κράτη για παράνομη αλιεία

Η Ευρωπαϊκή Επιτροπή προειδοποίησε με κυρώσεις οκτώ αναπτυσσόμενες χώρες αν δεν λάβουν περισσότερα μέτρα για να σταματήσουν την «εγκληματική» παράνομη αλιευτική δραστηριότητα, επισημαίνοντας ότι είναι η πρώτη φορά που προβαίνει σε ανάλογη δράση.
Η Επιτροπή δήλωσε μεν ότι δεν έχει ακόμη σκοπό να επιβάλει κυρώσεις στα κράτη Μπελίζε, Καμπότζη, Φίτζι, Γουινέα, Παναμά, Σρι Λάνκα, Τόγκο και Βανουάτου, ωστόσο τόνισε ότι θα μπορούσαν να αντιμετωπίσουν κυρώσεις, όπως η απαγόρευση πώλησης αλιευτικών εργαλείων στην Ευρώπη, αν δεν ανταποκριθούν στην προειδοποίηση.
«Αυτό δεν είναι μια μαύρη λίστα, αλλά μια κίτρινη κάρτα» δήλωσε χαρακτηριστικά η ελληνίδα Επίτροπος Αλιείας της ΕΕ Μαρία Δαμανάκη [1].

«Θέλουμε να αντιμετωπίζουμε τις χώρες αυτές ως εταίρους ... αλλά θέλουμε επίσης να επισημάνουμε ότι η ΕΕ δεν θα ανεχθεί (παράνομη) αλιεία - μια εγκληματική δραστηριότητα που υπονομεύει την επιβίωση των αλιευτικών κοινοτήτων και εξαντλεί τα ιχθυαποθέματα. (Τέτοια δραστηριότητα) θα πρέπει να εξαλειφθεί με κάθε τρόπο» δήλωσε η κ. Δαμανάκη.
Οι οκτώ χώρες έχουν ενημερωθεί, και θα τους δοθεί «ένα εύλογο χρονικό διάστημα» προκειμένου να απαντήσουν και να αναλάβουν δράση πρόσθεσε η επίτροπος.
Ερωτηθείσα ποιο μπορεί να είναι το επόμενο βήμα, η κ. Δαμανάκη δήλωσε ότι η Ευρωπαϊκή Επιτροπή θα προτείνει ακόμη και εμπορικές κυρώσεις αν τα οχτώ κράτη δεν ανταποκριθούν στην προειδοποίηση.
«Την επόμενη φορά δεν θα είναι μόνο μια κίτρινη κάρτα ... αυτό θα είναι οδυνηρό για όλους», υπογράμμισε, σημειώνοντας ότι η Ινδονησία είχε συνεργαστεί με την ΕΕ για περίπου ένα χρόνο και έτσι δεν περιελήφθη στο σχέτικο κατάλογο.

Η ΕΕ, που είναι σήμερα ο μεγαλύτερος εισαγωγέας αλιευμάτων παγκοσμίως, το 2010 υιοθέτησε οδηγία με στόχο να κλείσει η ευρωπαϊκή αγορά σε όσους παραβιάζουν τους κανόνες της.
.ecofinder.gr
15/11/12
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[1] Maritime Affairs and Fisheries

Today, the European Commission stepped up its action to fight illegal fishing worldwide by warning eight third countries that they risk being identified as countries it considers non-cooperative in the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU). The countries in question are: Belize, Cambodia, Fiji, Guinea, Panama, Sri Lanka, Togo and Vanuatu.
Commissioner Maria Damanaki said: "This is not a black list, but a yellow card. We want these countries as partners to combat illegal fishing. We want them to improve their legal and control systems as required by international rules. But we also want to signal to the world that the EU will not tolerate IUU fishing - a criminal activity which undermines the livelihood of fishing communities and depletes fish stocks. It must be eradicated by all means."
This decision is the first of its kind and it highlights that these countries are not doing enough to fight illegal fishing. It identifies concrete shortcomings, such as lack of dialogue or lack of actions to address deficiencies in monitoring, controlling and surveillance of fisheries, and suggests corrective actions to resolve them. The decision will not, at this stage, entail any measures affecting trade. The eight countries have been notified and given a reasonable time to respond and to rectify the situation. The Commission has also proposed an action plan for each country. Should the situation not improve, the EU could take further steps, which could entail trade measures such as a ban on selling fisheries products to the EU.
The fight against illegal fishing is part of the EU drive to ensure the sustainable use of the sea and its resources. As the world's biggest fish importer the EU aims to close its markets to illegally caught fish. The Commission considers that the eight countries identified do not so far fulfil their duties as flag, coastal, port or market states in line with international law, such as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea or United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement. For instance, the countries need to amend their legal framework to combat IUU fishing, improve control and monitoring actions or take a proactive role in compliance of international law rules.
The Commission's decision is a result of a thorough analysis and it also took into account each country's level of development. The decision follows a long period of informal discussions with the countries in question. It now starts a formal procedure of dialogue and cooperation with these countries with the aim to solve the established shortcomings.
The estimated global value of IUU fishing is approximately 10 billion euros per year, and it is said to account for 19% of the reported value of catches. Between 11 and 26 million tonnes of fish are caught illegally a year, which corresponds to at least 15% of world catches. It is estimated that 16% of all sea-caught fish imported into the EU is caught illegally.

.ec.europa.eu/commission_2010-2014/damanaki

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