Eliminating illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing

KEY POINTS

The regulation lays down a series of measures so that IUU fishery products do not enter the EU market.

Designated ports

• Only port facilities designated by EU Member States are open to vessels from non-EU countries.
• Landings and transhipments of fishery products between vessels from non-EU countries and EU vessels, which are prohibited at sea, must only take place in designated EU ports.

Port inspections

• The Member State in which the port is located is responsible for monitoring fishery products imported into the EU. It must check that such products are legal and that the vessel complies with the regulations, i.e. that it holds the required licences and authorisations and that the quantity declared matches with the quantity landed or transhipped.

Catch certificates

• The catch certificate guarantees that products imported into the EU do not originate from IUU fishing. These certificates are validated by the country in which the fishing vessel is registered (flag state). They accompany fishery products throughout the supply chain to allow continual checks.
• Amending Regulation (EU) 2023/2842 makes the use of a digital system (CATCH) to manage catch certificates and related documents obligatory for EU operators upon importation and for the Member States’ import control authorities when taking decisions on whether to accept or reject an import. CATCH is based on Traces, referred to in Regulation (EU) 2017/625 on official controls, and allows for risk-based monitoring while reducing opportunities for fraudulent imports and easing the administrative burden of Member States.
• The European Commission is conferred with powers to adopt implementing acts relating to the operation and development of CATCH. It will also have powers to adopt delegated acts setting out rules on:
  • the conditions for any exemption from the application of CATCH;
  • developing a template of a document in order to harmonise the monitoring of requirements on split consignments under the catch certification scheme, with a view to increasing the traceability of fishery products destined for the EU market.
• CATCH will become compulsory for EU operators and authorities for imports of fishery products from 10 January 2026. However, catch certificates and related documents validated, endorsed or signed before 10 January 2026 may be used by importers until 10 January 2028.

IUU vessel list

• The Commission will draw up an EU IUU vessel list based on IUU vessel lists agreed by regional fisheries management organisations.

Non-cooperating non-EU countries

• The Commission will also pre-identify (i.e. notify a non-EU country of the possibility of being identified as a non-cooperating country) and identify non-cooperating non-EU countries in the fight against IUU. A non-EU country may be identified as a non-cooperating country when it does not fulfil its duties as a flag, port, coastal or market state to take action to prevent, deter and eliminate IUU fishing.