Illegal fishing

The EU rules to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing

Vessel fishing illegally for Patagonian toothfish in waters south of Australia, being inspected by the Australian navy.

Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU) depletes fish stocks, destroys marine habitats, distorts competition, puts honest fishers at an unfair disadvantage, and weakens coastal communities, particularly in developing countries.
The EU is working to close the loopholes that allow illegal operators to profit from their activities:

The EU Regulation to prevent, deter and eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU) entered into force on 1 January 2010. The Commission is working actively with all stakeholders to ensure coherent application of the IUU Regulation.
Only marine fisheries products validated as legal by the competent flag state or exporting state can be imported to or exported from the EU.
An IUU vessel list is issued regularly, based on IUU vessels identified by Regional Fisheries Management Organisations.
The IUU Regulation can take steps against states that turn a blind eye to illegal fishing activities: first it issues a warning, then it can identify and black list them for not fighting IUU fishing.
EU operators who fish illegally anywhere in the world, under any flag, face substantial penalties proportionate to the economic value of their catch, which deprive them of any profit.

In May 2019 the European Commission launched CATCH, an IT system that aims to digitalise the currently paper-based EU catch certification scheme as laid down by the Regulation (EC) No 1005/2008.

Legal basis

Council Regulation (EC) No 1005/2008 of 29 September 2008 establishing a Community system to prevent, deter and eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU Regulation)

Commission Regulation (EC) No 1010/2009 of 22 October 2009 laying down detailed rules for the implementation of Council Regulation (EC) No 1005/2008

Commission Statements of 18 September 2008

Secondary legislation, guidance and other information

Personal data protection

The processing of personal data by the EU institutions and bodies is covered by Regulation (EU) 2018/1725. Decision (EU) 2019/1862 restricts certain rights of individuals in the context of the processing of personal data by the Commission in the Union system to prevent, deter and eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. The IUU implementation privacy statement gives you more information.

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News

27/10/2020 - Commission proposes fishing opportunities in the Atlantic and North Sea for 2021

Today the Commission published its proposal setting out catch limits for fish stocks in the Atlantic and the North Sea. Based on this proposal, EU fisheries ministers will set the final catch limits at the Council on 15-16 December, to apply as of 1 January 2021.

27/10/2020 - Other marine litter projects on social media

Featured on social media: 'Oceanets' working on recycling technologies for discarded, lost, or abandoned fishing gears, 'Aqualit' a project working with the aquaculture industry to prevent litter from entering the sea, 'BlueNet' recovering fishing gear from the sea and using it as raw material to manufacture new gear, 'Fishing for litter' encouraging fishermen to take ashore the litter they encounter at sea, and 'NETtag' developing devices to track lost fishing gear.

27/10/2020 - Marine litter: EU-funded Twinapp combines sports and litter collection

Miquel Ferrés from Palamós, Catalonia, is a fisherman and a keen sportsman. While fishing on his trawler, he came to realise that his nets were collecting the same kind of litter that he would see on the beach during his running sessions. He decided to take action for the well-being of the seas by combining two of his great interests: doing sports and taking care of the marine environment.