The European fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing The issue is back in the spotlight following an analysis that questions the effectiveness of some border controls within the single market. According to the Fishing Coalition, differences between member states allow certain operators to identify more permeable entry ports to place their products in the EU.
In that context, Spain stands out for the severity of its inspections and by the impetus of a new control law, while Galicia consolidates Vigo as nerve center of training international cooperation is needed to curb these practices. All of this is happening at a time when the Commission and part of the industry are demanding real consistency and transparency.
Unequal controls in the EU expose the European market
The report by the Fishing Coalition—comprised of EJF, Oceana, The Nature Conservancy, The Pew Charitable Trusts and WWF EU—reviews the implementation of the European regulation against illegal fishing between 2020 and 2023 and concludes that several countries have even failed to comply with the basic controls on fish imports.
The data illustrate a persistent problem: in 2022 and 2023, Italy verified only one catch certificate per yearWhile Portugal reviewed five shipments annually between 2020 and 2023, rejecting only two. This behavior reduces the EU's capacity to filter captures of illicit origin.
Union legislation requires that at least the 5% of downloads originating from third countries. However, the coalition warns of non-compliance in the Netherlands, Poland, Denmark, and Lithuania during the period analyzed; in particular, The Netherlands and Poland raise particular concernsand Denmark fell below the threshold in 2023.
The result is a ripple effect: unscrupulous actors take advantage of the more lax checkpoints to introduce products that could be associated with environmental crimes and labor abuses, undermining fair competition and effective traceability.
This scenario contrasts sharply with the position of states that take a more rigorous stance, such as Spain and Irelandwith verification rates exceeding 70% and 30%, respectively. These differences, according to the report, uneven playing field within the European market itself.
Spain picks up the pace with a new law and more transparency
The processing of a new Spanish fisheries control lawIn line with EU regulations, it strengthens inspections, accountability and sanctions, with the aim of preventing the entry of products of illegal origin in the European market, regardless of the place of capture.
Six organizations —ClientEarth, Ecologistas en Acción, EJF, Oceana, SEO / BirdLife and WWF—consider the text an opportunity to consolidate Spain's leadership, but warn of a blind spot: identifying and publishing who is the real owner of ships and companies, beyond the legal owner. Oceana's investigations indicate that 23% of ships from outside the EU but owned by Spain could be registered in high-risk jurisdictions, often with low transparency.
- Identify and publish the actual owners of the fishing vessels.
- Expand the scope to ships flying foreign flags but Spanish-owned.
- Grant sanctioning power against the real beneficiaries involved in illegal fishing or other crimes.
- Ensure public access to the beneficial ownership information for effective supervision.
From a technical standpoint, NGOs maintain that greater transparency protects the compliant fleetIt strengthens the sector's reputation and makes it easier for authorities to distinguish between legitimate operators and those who hide behind opaque structures to evading responsibilities.
Vigo consolidates its position as a training center against IUU fishing
A capacity-building course on the Agreement on Port State Measures (Amerp)This is key to blocking access to ports for vessels engaged in illegal fishing. The initiative, developed aboard the Intermares vessel, brought together the Galician Regional Government (Xunta), the FAO, the Vigo Port Authority, and the MarInnLeg Foundation.
The program included 10 modules, 34 hours of practical training, 65 hours of theory, and 15 lectures, with the participation of professionals from African countries and experts from the European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA), the FAO, and the Spanish government. This initiative consolidates Vigo's position as a leading center for the sector. training hub for Africa and Latin America, with a direct impact on the port surveillance.
The AMERP is the first legally binding international treaty focused on IUU fishing: it has 79 parties 105 States and seeks to prevent offending vessels from using ports to land catches, reducing incentives and curbing the entry of illicit products in the markets.
A European landscape with irregular controls, a Spanish law that is moving towards... full transparency and a training center in Vigo point in the same direction: closing loopholes, harmonizing inspections, and ensuring that the EU does not become entry route of illegal fishing or associated activities.
