The European Commission says that it welcomes the FAOs agreement on port state measures. This is the first major international agreement on fisheries management since the UN Fish Stocks Agreement was established in 1996.
Joe Borg, European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries said, "This is very good news for honest fishermen everywhere and very bad news for all those who continue to plunder the sea by taking advantage of lax control measures and weak sanctions to conceal their illegal activities. By strengthening the power to act of all states which provide port facilities to foreign vessels, the international community has closed a major loophole."
