Fight Against Illegal Fishing
The European Commission has expanded the global fight against illegal fishing by listing Saint Vincent & the Grenadines and the Comoros as uncooperative. Under the EU’s rules to fight and deter illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, defining a country as uncooperative is tantamount to issuing a red card which effectively bans trade in fisheries products between the EU and the country identified.
A warning, which is tantamount to issuing a yellow card, was issued for Liberia to encourage necessary reforms in the governance of their fisheries. The decision to issue a red card for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is due to the failure of the authorities to control and monitor their long distance fleet. As regards the Comoros, registration for its fleet is partly outsourced outside the island and most of the Comorian fleet operates in breach of national law and requirements in the eastern Atlantic.
Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Karmenu Vella, comments: “We are showing our commitment to fight illegal fishing globally. The EU’s actions in the past years created an incentive for states to take their responsibilities seriously, and implement reforms to their fisheries sector. We do not like to impose sanctions on third countries, but sometimes clear action is needed. We invite the Comoros and Saint Vincent and Grenadines to seriously step up their fight against illegal fishing so that we can reverse this decision quickly. Following today’s warning to Liberia we hope their authorities choose to act quickly and correct their wrongdoings.”
The global value of IUU fishing is estimated at approximately €10 billion per year, corresponding to at least 15% of world catches.
