Article
Illegal fishing - MEPs debate EU wide regulation to fight it
Fisheries - 04-06-2008 - 12:02
Profitability and plunder: illegal fishing
With three quarters of the world's fish fully or over-exploited by legal fishing, the illegal exploitation of stocks poses an even graver danger to the oceans. Worth up to €10 billion a year the practice threatens ecosystems, the viability of stocks and the livelihoods of real fishermen. Wednesday night MEPs in Brussels will debate ways to stop illegal fishing. Banning imports of illegal catches and a blacklist list of vessels involved are two proposals under consideration.
The official term for this type of fishing is illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. The amount caught each year by this method is staggering. In total it amounts to the second largest catch globally after that of the Chinese fishing fleet. For comparison, the EU fleet is the 3rd largest globally and the world's largest fish market.
The issue being debated tonight in Brussels is a proposal to establish a Community system "to prevent, deter and eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing".
EU involvement in illegal fishing
The problem of illegal fishing is not just outside the European Union. For French Green Marie-Hélène Aubert, who drafted parliament's report on the proposed regulation, the EU is part of the problem. Ahead of the debate she said, "among the most important IUU fishery scandals in recent years are blue fin tuna and cod in the Barents and Baltic - all of which have significant EU involvement in terms of vessels or operators or importers". She added, "many countries see the EU as part of the problem rather than the solution". Every year it is estimated that over €1.1 billion worth of illegal fish are imported into the EU.
Illegal fishing is highly lucrative with derisory fines for those who are caught. As well as the effects on the eco-system the practice also plunders the resources of coastal communities in some of the poorest places in the world.
List of illegal fishing vessels proposed
Among the measures aimed at deterring illegal fishing that MEPs will discuss Wednesday are: a "blacklist" of vessels - both EU registered and non EU - involved in illegal fishing and a scheme to bar access to EU ports by vessels involved in illegal fishing.
The import of IUU fish and prohibition of imports from countries that do not cooperate with the new measures is also proposed as is a Europe wide alert system where illegal fishing is suspected.
MEPs will vote on the report on Thursday. Mrs Aubert said, "if adopted in its present form, it would put the EU at the forefront of international efforts to eliminate IUU fishing and in a position to put pressure on states which continue to allow illegal fishing by their vessels".
REF.: 20080530STO30466