What will the new regulation add compared to existing EU legislation?
IUU fishing is by essence an international activity. International trade in fisheries products has grown considerably as part of the economic globalization, and this has provided illegal operators with many lucrative new opportunities. To dissimulate their illegal origin, catches are often transported along complex routes before they reach their final market, including transhipments at sea, landings in “ports of convenience” and processing in a country which is different from both the Flag and the market States. In some instances, the complexity and scale of these activities can rightly be qualified as a form of cross-border organised crime, whose working methods and patterns resemble those of other similar activities, such as drug trafficking or large-scale contraband. The main shortcoming of the current EU regime is precisely that it is not comprehensive enough to address the complex, transnational nature of IUU fishing. We need an integrated approach to address these activities thro
