The EU Regulation to end illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing prohibits all EU nationals from engaging in or supporting IUU fishing activities and requires Member States to penalise any EU individual or EU-based entity proven to have been involved in IUU fishing and related trade, with effective, proportionate and dissuasive sanctions. This relates to cases where:
- EU-flagged vessels have been engaged in IUU fishing directly;
- non-EU flagged vessels engaged with IUU fishing have been traced back to EU ownership; or
- EU nationals benefit financially from profits linked with IUU fishing.
In the event of serious infringements, EU Member States must impose a sanction up to five times the value of the fishery products obtained through committing the offence, and eight times the value of the fishery products in case of a repeated infringement within a five-year period.
The need for better implementation
Research by the EU IUU fishing Coalition has identified weaknesses in Member State import controls and uneven standards which could be providing a route for seafood products that are non-compliant with the EU IUU Regulation to enter the EU market. Coalition research has also noted shifting trade flows of seafood products among several EU Member States that are at high-risk of IUU fishing following the warning (yellow-carding) of certain exporting countries.
These trends suggest that operators may be exploiting EU borders that are seen as more porous to import high-risk and, potentially, illegally-caught seafood. This warrants the urgent need for improved coordination and harmonisation of import controls across Member States.
The Coalition is calling for better coordination and cooperation between transit and destination Member States to ensure that catch certificates for seafood imports are effectively scrutinised, and that robust monitoring and import controls are applied consistently across the entire EU border. In 2019, the EU introduced CATCH, an IT system digitalising the catch certificate scheme and thus facilitating the harmonised, coordinated and risk-based monitoring of seafood imports. Its use must now be made mandatory to ensure better seafood traceability.
EU Member States Biennial Reports
biennial reports
2022-2023:
| Austria | Estonia | Italy | Portugal |
| Belgium | Finland | Latvia | Romania |
| Bulgaria | France | Lithuania | Slovakia |
| Croatia | Germany | Luxembourg | Slovenia |
| Cyprus | Greece | Malta | Spain |
| Czechia | Hungary | Netherlands | Sweden |
| Denmark | Ireland | Poland |
2020-2021:
| Austria | Estonia | Italy | Portugal |
| Belgium | Finland | Latvia | Romania |
| Bulgaria | France | Lithuania | Slovakia |
| Croatia | Germany | Luxembourg | Slovenia |
| Cyprus | Greece | Malta | Spain |
| Czechia | Hungary | Netherlands | Sweden |
| Denmark | Ireland | Poland |
2018-2019:
2016-2017:
Reports
The impact of the EU IUU Regulation on seafood trade flows, February 2018
Full report – EN | Report highlights – EN
Analysis: Implementation of EU seafood import controls, March 2017
Full report – EN |
Executive summary EN | ES | FR | DE | IT | NL
The EU IUU Regulation: Building on success ﹘ EU progress in the global fight against illegal fishing, July 2015
EN | ES | FR | DE
Position papers
IUU fishing and the EU Green Deal – Advancing the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, September 2020
EN | ES | FR
IUU Fishing and the EU Green Deal – Advancing the Farm-to-Fork Strategy, September 2020
EN | ES | FR
Commentary on Member State legal obligations to control seafood imports under the European Union’s illegal fishing Regulation, June 2017
EN
Combating illegal fishing in Germany, February 2017
DE
Case studies
Improving performance in the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing: Spain – Leading implementation of the EU’s Regulation to combat illegal fishing, June 2017
EN | ES
Legal opinion on Germany’s implementation of import controls under the Regulation, February 2017
EN | DE
Improving performance in the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing: Resource constraints on effective IUU Regulation implementation in the Netherlands, July 2016
EN | NL
Improving performance in the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing: Germany – A major player in the global fight against illegal fishing, May 2016
EN | DE