EU warns four more countries on IUU fishing

The European Commission today added four more countries — the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, St. Kitts and Nevis and St. Vincent and the Grenadines — to its list of nations warned about non-cooperation in fighting Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing.

The commission has issued warnings to other nations in the past, South Korea being the largest. If the countries in question do not demonstrate they are doing more to address the issue, the commission could recommend trade bans. The commission has issued the warnings in the past partially to protect the waters off the western coast of Africa.

“Today's decision is about the four countries needing to step up their efforts in fighting illegal fishing,” said Karmenu Vella, European commissioner for environment, maritime affairs and fisheries. “I am convinced that they will all commit to this cooperative approach since sustainable development in Small Island States relies on sustainable fishing. We will work with them to make that happen and we will continue to prioritize sustainability in waters at home and abroad."

The commission described the warning as a “yellow card,” and pledged to help the nations work to improve their situation.

The commission estimated between 11 and 26 million metric tons of fish are caught illegally a year, valued at approximately EUR 10 billion (USD 12.5 billion) per year.