A new report has revealed widespread opacity in the ownership of the world’s large-scale fishing fleets, raising serious concerns over fisheries governance and sustainability

According to the report from EqualSea Lab at the University of Santiago de Compostela and commissioned by Oceana, nearly two-thirds of industrial fishing vessels – responsible for 60% of global marine fisheries landings and recipients of over 80% of fisheries subsidies – lack publicly available ownership information.

The report also highlights the European Union’s understated footprint in distant-water fishing.