Saving Seafood

EU IUU Coalition warns bloc is leaving its borders wide open to illegal seafood imports

November 24, 2025 — The European Union is failing to keep illicit seafood products from entering its borders, despite having some of the strongest illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing restrictions on paper, according to the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF).

The NGO – along with Oceana, The Pew Charitable Trusts, The Nature Conservancy, and WWF EU, all of which comprise the E.U.’s IUU Fishing Coalition – has warned in a new report – “Beyond CATCH: Why E.U. import controls still fail to keep illegal seafood out of the market” – that this flow of IUU products into the bloc is creating “dangerous loopholes” that threaten consumer trust, fair competition, and global efforts to combat fisheries crime.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

ICCAT adopts swordfish management plan, but Japan and China block efforts to strengthen shark finning ban

November 19, 2024 — The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) has adopted a management procedure for Atlantic swordfish, but another proposal to strengthen the commission’s ban on shark finning was derailed by Japan and China.

ICCAT held its annual meeting from 11 to 18 November and had already completed a management strategy evaluation for North Atlantic swordfish. NGOs like The Pew Charitable Trusts pushed for the ICCAT – a regional fishery management organization (RFMO) – to adopt the strategy to move away from annual quota negotiations toward an automated system that makes management decisions less political and more science-based.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Pew pushing ICCAT to adopt harvest strategy for North Atlantic swordfish

November 7, 2024 — The Pew Charitable Trusts is pushing the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) to adopt a new harvest strategy in a shift to how it would manage North Atlantic swordfish.

ICCAT is holding one of its annual meetings from 11 to 18 November and is considering a long-term harvest strategy which would set new rules for how it tackles setting the North Atlantic swordfish quota. A harvest strategy, also known as a management procedure, helps regional fishery management organizations (RFMOs) like ICCAT set how it will manage catch limits and other rules for years or even decades to come, which can help reduce contentious annual negotiations.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Pew study finds tuna secured via transshipment is a USD 10.4 billion industry globally

September 19, 2024 — A recently published study performed by The Pew Charitable Trusts found that tuna transshipment within regional fishery management organization (RFMO)-managed fisheries represents as much as a quarter of all tuna sales globally.

The study looked at data collected by RFMOs like the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) and the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) on transshipment from 2012 to 2018. According to Pew, in 2018, 1.4 million metric tons (MT) of tuna were transshipped in 2018, with a total value of roughly USD 10.4 billion (EUR 9.3 billion).

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

NGO Coalition Identifies Measures to Protect Fisheries Observers

June 13, 2018 — The following was released by FishWise: 

A group of influential NGOs working in sustainable seafood released recommendations for measures to support the safety of observers working aboard tuna fishing vessels, “Policies and Recommendations to Improve the Safety of Fisheries Observers Deployed inTuna Fisheries.” First introduced in March 2018, ten organizations, including the largest association for professional observers, have joined forces to coauthor the document: FishWise, World Wildlife Fund, Environmental Justice Foundation, Greenpeace, International Pole and Line Foundation, International Seafood Sustainability Foundation, the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch Program, The Pew Charitable Trusts, Sustainable Fisheries Partnership, and the Association for Professional Observers.

Published amid reports of human rights abuses in some seafood supply chains, this new set of recommendations signals a groundswell of support calling for protective measures for observers and other seafood workers. The NGO community plays a vital role in identifying best practices and requesting reforms, and many of the groups supporting these observer safety measures have strong connections to the seafood industry and those working at the Regional Fishery Management Organization level.

Observers play a vital role in the effective management and long-term viability of fisheries by collecting data at-sea. Isolated far from shore, tuna observers have dangerous jobs where vessel and personal safety are not always guaranteed. Observers are in a particularly vulnerable position when they witness activities the vessel operator doesn’t want reported, sometimes triggering the use of threats, bribes, or intimidation. Tragically, as Hakai Magazine and CNN reported recently, threats by fishing vessel operators to observers are sometimes carried out and some have even been murdered or declared missing under mysterious circumstances.

Many of the measures being suggested in this document were drafted by observers themselves in an Observer Bill of Rights, a document aimed at outlining safety measures all observers should be provided. Unfortunately, few tuna regulatory bodies have implemented those measures. By supporting existing policies that could improve observer safety and security in tuna fisheries, it is hoped that this document will spur action by companies and regulators to prevent human rights and safety violations in the future.

The document is being launched ahead of this year’s SeaWeb Seafood Summit in Barcelona, where many of the world’s seafood experts from across sectors will convene to discuss sustainability and social responsibility in seafood. The document was funded in part by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, Humanity United, and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.

Several organizations lending their support have provided quotes on the importance of this issue as well as the need for continued reforms from tuna companies and regional fisheries management organizations:

“With the backing of ten organizations, including the Association for Professional Observers, this report represents a powerful call to action. Observers have asked for these reforms since 2000, and FishWise believes it is time for the global fishing community to stand up for the safety of the men and women that work tirelessly to support healthy and resilient oceans.”

-Tobias Aguirre, Chief Executive Officer, FishWise

“Fisheries observers collect the scientific information that forms the foundation of our understanding of our fisheries. Without this independent and objective source of information we simply cannot expect to effectively conserve and manage our collective ocean heritage. Given the tragic loss of 10 observers in the past 8 years, we owe it to observers to ensure these measures are implemented across all fisheries on a global scale.”

-Bubba Cook, Western and Central Pacific Tuna Program Manager, WWF

“Observers play an important role in helping us better understand the small-scale one-by-one tuna fisheries that we work with and having suitable, safe working conditions on board fishing vessels should be a priority for the small-scale sector as well as the large. We have therefore gladly supported the development of these guidelines and encourage all stakeholders to adopt best practice in the fisheries they work with, based on these recommendations.”

– Martin Purves, Managing Director, IPNLF

“Worker safety in any occupation is a fundamental human right,” says Monterey Bay Aquarium Director of Global Fisheries and Aquaculture Jennifer Dianto Kemmerly. “the Monterey Bay Aquarium is pleased to join our colleagues in supporting the awareness and implementation of Observer Safety Best Practices.“

“Since 1995, the APO has strongly supported robust, transparent, scientifically-based programs that provide sound science to support sustainable fisheries management and reduced bycatch in fisheries. Because observers are on the front-lines of this data collection, it is critical that all stakeholders support their professionalism and safety so that they may work free from harassment and interference.”

-Liz Mitchell, Association for Professional Observers

“Observers working aboard tuna fishing vessels do a crucial job in securing sustainable fisheries, and it is vital that we guarantee their safety. Companies and regulators must implement key safety measures to prevent human rights and safety violations.”

-Steve Trent, Environmental Justice Foundation

“Amid rampant illegal fishing, overcapacity of fleets, and labor and human rights abuses, tuna fisheries need strong checks and balances. Observers play a critical role in sustainable fisheries, and, like crew, deserve safe working conditions. Seafood businesses have a responsibility to ensure that the workers in their supply chains are not abused or murdered while doing their jobs.”

– David Pinsky, Senior Oceans Campaigner, Greenpeace USA

“Data collection is a vital component to ongoing sustainability work throughout the industry. SFP proudly supports any efforts to protect those entrusted with gathering data at sea, and we encourage our partners and other key influential industry stakeholders to do the same.”

-Tom Pickerell, Global Tuna Director, Sustainable Fisheries Partnership

EU still vulnerable to illegal fish imports

March 17, 2017 — Disparities and weaknesses in import controls in key member states of the European Union mean illegally caught fish can still slip through the net and into EU supply chains, according to an analysis published today by the Environmental Justice Foundation, Oceana, The Pew Charitable Trusts and WWF.

The analysis provides a comprehensive evaluation of countries’ progress in implementing import controls under the EU Regulation to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, which came into force in 2010. This is the first published analysis of data reported by member states to the European Commission for the most recent two-year reporting period, 2014 to 2015. It reveals significant problems with the way a number of EU member states are executing controls of fish consignments. For example, authorities in some major importing countries still fail to apply robust checks even where consignments come from countries that have been warned by the EU for having inadequate measures in place to prevent and deter illegal fishing. In some cases, the procedures implemented by EU countries appear insufficient to comply with the minimum control obligations laid down in EU legislation.

The study calls for more harmonised and rigorous procedures, as well as the digitisation of catch certificate information within the EU by the end of 2017, to ensure unscrupulous operators do not attempt to move their catch through ports where weaker controls are in place. Imports entering the EU in shipping containers are identified as particularly challenging for enforcement authorities, with procedures for these not harmonised to a sufficiently rigorous standard to date.

The import controls are a cornerstone of the European Union’s 2010 Regulation to combat IUU fishing, which is seen as a world-leading piece of legislation in the global fight against illegal fishing. The analysis reinforces the findings of a recent case study published by the four NGOs revealing that the fraudulent use of paper catch certificates and lack of an EU-wide system for cross-checking import documents means illegal catch is still getting through.

Read the full story at The Fish Site