The European Commission has issued yellow cards to Kiribati, Sierra Leone and Trinidad and Tobago as they risk being uncooperative in the fight against illegal fishing.
However, the Commission has lifted the red card and associated trade measures off Sri Lanka, as the country has significantly improved its national fisheries governance.
“Today's decisions are yet another sign of the EU's determination to fight illegal fishing globally,” said European Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Karmenu Vella
“It also shows that we can bring important players on board: Sri Lanka has now a robust legal and policy framework to fight illegal fishing activities. As the fight against IUU fishing is part of the EU's commitment towards sustainability and good ocean governance, each third country that comes on board is an asset.”
The warning to Kiribati is based on concerns regarding the country's capacity to control fishing activities by foreign fleets. There are serious risks that illegally caught fish could be laundered through the ports of Kiribati, as they do not have robust traceability systems in place for fisheries products. The Commission says that Kiribati's unwillingness to share important information on third country vessels operating in their waters undermines the Commission's work to improve transparency and sustainability of tuna resources in the Western and Central Pacific.
In Sierra Leone, legal texts governing fisheries are outdated and sanctions fail to deter illegal operators operating internationally under the flag of Sierra Leone, without the fisheries authorities' knowledge. In addition, the number of licensed vessels exceeds the available resources and authorities fail to monitor or control their waters.
Trinidad and Tobago also has a large fleet operating internationally where authorities do not control or inspect foreign vessels, nor cooperate with relevant flag States. The Commission says that the poor traceability system also causes the risk of laundering of fisheries products.
The Commission is proposing a tailor-made action plan that will help put in place robust fisheries management control systems for these countries. If identified issues are not resolved within six months, the EU can consider taking further steps, including trade sanctions on fisheries imports.
After a lengthy dialogue process, Sri Lanka has now successfully reformed its fisheries governance system. The country was issued with a yellow card in 2012 and been listed by the Council in February 2015. But it has now amended its legal framework, strengthened sanctions and improved its fleet control.
The Commission is also evaluating progress made by Thailand. It says that the dialogue is proving difficult and there remain serious concerns about the steps taken by the country to fight IUU fishing activities, which means that further action by the Commission cannot be ruled out. A meeting has been scheduled with the Thai authorities in May.
