Vessel involved in illegal fishing. (Photo: Stock File)

Oceana requests pirate fishing to be an environmental crime

Oceana, the largest international organization dedicated exclusively to the conservation and defense of the oceans, today launches an SOS for governments to make pirate fishing a punishable environmental crime.

Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU) is a worldwide practice that moves tens of thousands of euros each year and damages the marine environment, endangering the fishing resources and the entire ocean ecosystem. This call for legal action matches the World Environment Day and the International Day for the Fight against IUU Fishing, which are held on June 5 at the initiative of the United Nations.

"On World Environment Day and the International Day for the Fight against IUU Fishing, we call on governments around the world to make illegal fishing an environmental crime. All countries must recognize that large-scale illegal fishing is organized crime and treat it as such. Pirates should be behind bars and not sailing freely across the oceans," says Lasse Gustavsson, executive director of Oceana Europe.

It is estimated that IUU fishing accounts for 20 per cent of total catches. Conservative estimates of illegal and undeclared fishing point to annual losses of between EUR 9 and 20 billion for the world economy, equivalent to between 11 and 16 million tonnes.

The fact that the vast majority of countries do not consider IUU fishing a crime is taking its toll on the environment and society. These operators break the law, causing overexploitation of fish stocks and destruction of ecosystems and vital habitats.

Species of high economic value, such as sharks and tuna, are often the target of illegal fishing. Overfishing these predators and threatened species unbalances the marine ecosystem and endangers the health and wealth of the oceans.

At the social level, IUU fishing places legal fishers at a disadvantage and has an impact on the socio-economic well-being of fishing villages.

The declaration of the International Day for the fight against IUU fishing is an initiative of the General Fisheries Commission of the Mediterranean, a regional body dependent on the UN, and was adopted by the General Assembly on November 22, 2017.

As part of the Sustainable Development Goals, the UN has set the goal of ending IUU and destructive fishing practices in 2020.

[email protected]
www.seafood.media

Address:	1350 Connecticut Ave, N/V - 5th Floor
City:	Washington,
State/ZIP:	District of Columbia (DC20036)
Country:	United States
Phone:	+1 202 833 3900
Fax:	+1 202 833 2070
E-Mail:	[email protected]
More about:

Print