The European Commission has welcomed new international rules that should tighten the loopholes against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.

The rules, pushed by the EU, were agreed upon during a meeting of the Food and Agricultural Organisation.

Hailing the positive conclusion, Fisheries Commissioner Joe Borg said the deal was notable for its broad scope, which not only covered fishing vessels but also transport vessels that could be used to carry fisheries products.

"This is very good news for honest fishermen everywhere and very bad news for all those who continue to plunder the sea by taking advantage of lax control measures and weak sanctions to conceal their illegal activities," Dr Borg said.

"By strengthening the power to act of all states, which provide port facilities to foreign vessels, the international community has closed a major loophole. Ports of convenience cannot be tolerated," he added.

The new agreement will apply to the ports of all states and entities around the world, setting minimum standards for port state measures. This includes establishing a list of designated ports; prior notification by the flag state to confirm the legality of the catches held onboard before a vessel is granted access to port facilities and procedures for inspection of foreign vessels when at port.

The rules would also allow for increased follow-ups of any detected infringements, a legal basis for denying illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) listed vessels access to port facilities and provide for enhanced information exchange between countries.

Many developing countries took part in the negotiations leading to this agreement, which includes commitments to provide such states with assistance to help them implement the new measures.

The EU has already taken similar steps to strengthen control in its own ports, which would now become the international norm. It has long advocated the need for a strong and binding agreement on an international level.

International trade in fisheries products has grown considerably in the past years as part of the economic globalisation. 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 that is different from both the flag and the market states.

The volume of illegal fisheries products imported each year into the EU has been assessed to amount to about 500,000 tons for a value of €1.1 billio.