Fishermen from the 27 member states have to abide by new rules aimed at ensuring that no illegally-caught fish end up on the market across the EU.
The tough rules came into force at the beginning of the month, aimed at bolstering controls under the EU's Common Fisheries Policy. They seek to enable member states to protect the resources of European seas from unscrupulous operators and to safeguard the livelihoods of honest fishermen who would otherwise be exposed to unfair competition.
Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing will be fought under what is known as the IUU (illegal, unreported and unregulated) regulations.
The main changes will see all the fish that lands on the EU market certified so that individual fish can be identified and tracked to its origin. A comprehensive catch certification scheme will ensure the fish caught, landed, brought to the market and sold can be tracked at any stage of the process, from net to plate. Modern technology will be used to keep tabs on fisheries products through every step of the market chain.
The regulation also introduces a harmonised system of proportionate sanctions. EU nationals can be prosecuted at home regardless of where they operate around the world.
Prior to the new rules, the punishment for any violation differed from one country to another, allowing operators to take advantage of different penalty systems. From now on, the same offence will be subject to the same sanction, wherever it takes place and whatever the fisherman's nationality or flag. A point system for serious infringements can ultimately result in wrongdoers losing their licence to fish.
According to Commission estimates, illegal fishing practices are worth about €10 billion a year globally, making IUU fishing the second largest source of fishery products in the world.
Welcoming the entry into force of the rules, outgoing European Fisheries Commissioner Joe Borg said the time when an unprincipled minority of fishermen found they could persistently bend the rules, or just break them and get away with it, was over. The Maltese fisheries authorities have just started a process to boost their enforcement capabilities including hiring staff to be able to implement the rules.