Yesterday, EU member states fishing ministers backed the European Commission in their efforts against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing. Agreement was absolute to support the fight against perceived widespread abuses.
Read more from undercurrent news here.
Belize, Cambodia, and Guinea have all been blacklisted. Fish caught by their fleet or from their waters will no longer come into Europe unless they are able to show in the future their fisheries are under control.
Other countries are under investigation by the European Commission. South Korea, Ghana, Curaco have all be warned to address their fisheries. And Panama, Fiji, Togo, Sri Lanka and Vanuatu have been given until the spring of 2014 to implement the measures they have told the EU Commission they would introduce.
It seems a few countries thought the EU was bluffing. They have just learned the EU is very serious about taking and beating Pirate fishing.
Around $10 billion a year of fish is from IUU fisheries.
See: http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/en/agricult/141823.pdf
May 25, 2014 | 1:32 PM
Its good to see the EU take steps to protect its fishing. It is a very important industry and its terrible to see it being drained by pirate fishing.