Oceana exposes illegal fishing

Driftnets have been banned in the EU since 2002, due to high bycatch rates. However, Oceana’s images appear to show boats offloading swordfish, including juveniles, with driftnets onboard.

“The illegal use of driftnets has been plaguing Italy for over 30 years. This destructive gear catches highly migratory species, cetaceans and sea turtles, and threatens traditional, and more selective harpoon fisheries in Sicily and Calabria,” said Xavier Pastor, Executive Director of Oceana in Europe. “Oceana is concerned about this grave situation, and about the lack of awareness from the Italian authorities, who consider this issue to be closed”.

Oceana reports that as the Italian government declared that it has not breached the rules, the EU infraction procedure on the illegal use of driftnets has been closed. The organisation says that the European Commission has kept Italy on its list of countries to be closely observed since 1995, but during this time Italy has gone from building loopholes to get around the Regulation to attempting to conform to the ban on the catching of highly migratory species (tuna and swordfish) using any kind of driftnet.

Oceana claims that inspections have been inadequate, and though Italian authorities have increased controls over the past few years, it has not been enough to eradicate this problem. In light of this recent video evidence Oceana is urging the European Commission to open a new infraction procedure.

“The EU Italian Presidency must clearly define this fishery as what it really is: illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU), and those who are practicing it should be included in the EU’s list of IUU vessels,” added Mr Pastor. “The illegal use of driftnets is particularly worrying in a region like the Mediterranean, where 91% of fish stocks are overexploited, and several fish stocks, including that of swordfish, are declining.”