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

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The 2020 Annual Economic Report on the EU Fishing Fleet projects that in 2020, the EU fleet remained profitable overall, despite the effects of COVID-19 on the fleet and fish markets. More sustainable fishing and lower fuel costs have helped to mitigate the socio-economic impacts of the pandemic.

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