The 5th of June will mark both the International Day for the Fight against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing and the World Environment Day. To mark the occasion, the EU IUU Fishing Coalition is glad to present its latest film: “No Green Without Blue: why eradicating illegal fishing is vital to the EU Green Deal”.
The European Green Deal aims to turn the tide on environmental degradation and on the climate crisis, by re-shaping the European economy across 8 different policy areas, including climate action, biodiversity preservation and restoration, and sustainable food systems. Our ocean and its protection has a crucial role to play in making the Green Deal a success, but Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing continues to threaten the future of marine ecosystems, fish stocks, and the people who depend on them. Similarly, by destroying marine habitats and emptying the ocean of marine life, IUU fishing jeopardises the ocean’s capacity to act as an effective carbon sink.
The film explains why it is important for the EU to recognise the role that tackling IUU fishing can play in achieving the ambitions set out in the European Green Deal. Concrete and enforceable measures to prevent IUU fishing are available and ready to deploy, and a number of related governance measures are already enshrined in EU law. Fighting IUU fishing is therefore an impactful and cost-effective way for the EU to achieve its goals and effectively tackle climate change, biodiversity loss, and sustainable food challenges.