China investigates illegal fishing boat detained in Ecuador

China said Tuesday it has looked into the case of a Chinese ship detained in Ecuador over charges of illegal fishing and that it does not tolerate any illegal trading of endangered wildlife.

Turkey’s fish stock falls dramatically, extinction in sight

Turkey’s wild fish count has significantly fallen over the past 10 years by around 30 percent for a large number of fish species across Turkish waters, with at least one species of fish in danger of extinction.

Συστηματική παράνομη κινεζική αλιεία στην Αφρική. -- China concerned over Indonesia's sinking of fishing boat

 Κινεζικές εταιρείες αλιεύουν παράνομα στα ανοιχτά των ακτών της δυτικής Αφρικής, ενώ στέλνουν συστηματικά εσκεμμένα ανακριβή δεδομένα τοποθεσίας, καταγγέλλει η περιβαλλοντική οργάνωση Greenpeace.

EU to consider lifting fish import ban on Sri Lanka

The European Commission has offered Sri Lanka assistance to meet the regulatory requirements that would enable an early lifting of ban on fish exports from Sri Lanka to the EU, the Sri Lankan External Affairs Ministry said on Thursday.

A dynamite catch - Global Times

 

Two foreign fishing boats suspected of conducting illegal fishing  activities are blown up by the Indonesian navy in Ambon Bay, Indonesia, on Sunday. The destruction of the Papua New Guinea-flagged vessels follows a government ruling requiring the sinking of almost all foreign ships illegally fishing in the waters of Indonesia. Photo: IC
A dynamite catch - Global Times

Illegal fisheries: green cards for five countries, but red card for Sri Lanka. (EC -14.10.14)

European Commission, Press release, Brussels, 14 October 2014:

In its fight against illegal fishing activities worldwide, the European Commission has today proposed to ban imports of fisheries products from Sri Lanka to tackle the commercial benefits stemming from illegal fishing. The move comes after four years of intense dialogue with the country after which it could not demonstrate that it sufficiently addressed illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. In contrast, the Commission today confirmed that Belize, Fiji, Panama, Togo and Vanuatu, which had received warnings at the same time as Sri Lanka, have successfully taken measures to tackle illegal fishing. Consequently, the Commission proposes to lift the trade measures imposed in March this year against Belize.

EU warns Philippines, Papua New Guinea over illegal fishing

The European Commission on Tuesday warned the Philippines and Papua New Guinea over insufficient action to fight illegal fishing, threatening them with further trade sanctions, according to an EU statement.

Both countries identified as non-cooperative in the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, are being given a yellow card warning and a reasonable time to respond and take measures to rectify the situation.

EU Rolls Out Trade Bans in Global Crackdown On Illegal Fishing

BANGKOK — Observers say the European Union is poised to hand South Korea a so-called "red card" next month unless Seoul is able to convince the EU fisheries commissioner that it is cracking down on illegal fishing by boats flying its flag.

South Korea, along with Ghana and Curacao, last year was handed a "yellow card" warning. Continuing violations by South Korean-flagged ships, many in waters off the coast of West Africa, could bring further sanctions this year.

Belize, Cambodia and Guinea, in March of this year, were penalized with the first-ever EU red cards for pirate fishing.

Maria Damanaki: FARMED IN THE EU. -LET’S TALK ABOUT SUSTAINABLE AQUACULTURE

Eating fish has many health benefits. It is good for the heart, packed with protein and is an excellent source of nutrients. But the demand for such healthy food grows. And we cannot meet this demand by simply fishing more from our wild fish stocks.

This is why fish farming can contribute to alleviate this pressure, by increasing the offer of sustainable seafood. And also of healthy seafood:

EU takes concrete action against illegal fishing. -European Commission

Following a Commission proposal, the Council of Ministers has today decided to list Belize, Cambodia and Guinea-Conakry as countries acting insufficiently against illegal fishing. After several warnings, measures will now come into effect against the three countries to tackle the commercial benefits stemming from illegal fishing. This means that imports into the EU of any fisheries products caught by vessels from these countries will now be banned, whilst EU vessels will not be allowed to fish in these countries' waters. It is the first time that measures of this type are adopted at EU level.

European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Maria Damanaki, welcomed the decision:

Less is More: We Need a Global Strategy to End Fishing Overcapacity

The global ocean, from the coast to the high seas, is facing multiple threats. We rely on the ocean for food, for transport, for the very air we breathe, but the current systems in place for governing and managing its resources are not fit for purpose. As a result, fish stocks are being depleted, rich biodiversity is at risk and illegal fishing vessels threaten the food security of whole nations. It is our economies that suffer -- depletion of fish stocks alone costs the global economy an estimated $50 billion per year.

The root of the problem is fishing overcapacity: too many boats chasing too few fish. Most problematic are the thousands of powerful, modern boats, equipped with high-tech tools able to find fish almost anywhere. But the more fish these boats take out, the fewer fish there are that can reproduce, and the more fishers must turn to potent tools to find them.

Ευρωπαϊκή «κίτρινη κάρτα» σε 8 κράτη για παράνομη αλιεία

Η Ευρωπαϊκή Επιτροπή προειδοποίησε με κυρώσεις οκτώ αναπτυσσόμενες χώρες αν δεν λάβουν περισσότερα μέτρα για να σταματήσουν την «εγκληματική» παράνομη αλιευτική δραστηριότητα, επισημαίνοντας ότι είναι η πρώτη φορά που προβαίνει σε ανάλογη δράση.
Η Επιτροπή δήλωσε μεν ότι δεν έχει ακόμη σκοπό να επιβάλει κυρώσεις στα κράτη Μπελίζε, Καμπότζη, Φίτζι, Γουινέα, Παναμά, Σρι Λάνκα, Τόγκο και Βανουάτου, ωστόσο τόνισε ότι θα μπορούσαν να αντιμετωπίσουν κυρώσεις, όπως η απαγόρευση πώλησης αλιευτικών εργαλείων στην Ευρώπη, αν δεν ανταποκριθούν στην προειδοποίηση.
«Αυτό δεν είναι μια μαύρη λίστα, αλλά μια κίτρινη κάρτα» δήλωσε χαρακτηριστικά η ελληνίδα Επίτροπος Αλιείας της ΕΕ Μαρία Δαμανάκη [1].