Former European commissioner for the environment, maritime affairs and fisheries Maria Damanaki took a strong stance on Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported (IUU) fishing, issuing warnings to several countries and issuing a first-ever seafood import ban against others, all in an attempt to drive other governments to do more to control so-called “pirate fishing.”
Now, in a video interview with SeafoodSource, Damanaki’s successor, Karmenu Vella, said he is picking up where she left off.
“We have to, because this is no small illegal criminal activity that we are talking (about),” he said. “We are talking about a global activity.”
Vella announced earlier this week that he was issuing a “yellow card” warning to Thailand, after previous negotiations and discussions failed to address the issue to his satisfaction. He has given Thailand six months to reconsider, or else Vella will seek trade sanctions barring seafood imports from Thailand to the EU.
When asked if he felt this would be harmful to fishermen in Thailand who were fishing legally, he acknowledged that might happen, but he did not back away from his commitment to seeking a trade ban if it becomes necessary.
“There is always that consideration unfortunately, but I think it is the Thai government that has to look after the interests of its fishermen, first and foremost.”
You can see Vella’s comments in the videos below:
