Spanish government last Friday announced penalties that could reach more than €11 million against Spanish nationals, including companies involved in illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. An EU coalition of three international NGOs, including Environmental Justice Foundation, Oceana and WWF described the fines as a historic moment in the battle against IUU fishing and are calling on other EU member states to follow suit with their own nationals.
In a global context of fierce competition for fishery resources which are progressively being depleted as a consequence of overfishing, overexploitation and overcapacity, illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing has become a growing concern, points out a FAO fisheries release.