Joint NGO priorities on the revision of the EU Fisheries Control System

The document presents a series of recommendations from a coalition of NGOs to strengthen the EU Fisheries Control System. Key priorities include the mandatory implementation of Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM) to ensure compliance with the Landing Obligation, extending tracking and reporting requirements to small-scale vessels, and improving the traceability of seafood products. The NGOs also call for the establishment of an EU Fisheries Control Data Centre to address data gaps and the introduction of transparency requirements, such as making audit reports and sanction data public. Additionally, the document advocates for a strengthened mandate for the European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA) and the digitalization of the EU IUU Regulation's catch certification system.

• The NGOs advocate for the mandatory introduction of Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM) to achieve 'fully documented fisheries' and to monitor the 'Landing Obligation', noting that a lack of monitoring has led to 'a great degree of non-compliance including substandard catch reporting'.
• There is a call to extend tracking and electronic reporting to small-scale vessels (under 12 meters), as 89% of the EU fleet—which accounts for 25% of total seafood catches—currently lacks a vessel monitoring system.
• The document recommends improving the control of recreational fisheries through a 'registration or licencing system' and electronic catch reporting, citing studies that estimate recreational fishing represents between '2% and 72% of total catches' depending on the region and stock.
• To combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, the NGOs support mandating electronic traceability systems for seafood lots along the supply chain, covering both EU and imported products.
• The authors propose the creation of an 'EU Fisheries Control Data Centre' to resolve issues with poor data quality and limited access to real-time information for the Commission and EFCA.
• The document argues for increased transparency, recommending that Member States publish aggregated data on inspections and sanctions every two years and that Commission audit reports of Member State control systems be made public.
• The NGOs support the digitalization of the catch certification system under the EU IUU Regulation and recommend the mandated use of the 'CATCH' IT tool to improve import controls.
• The document calls for a revised and better-resourced mandate for the European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA), specifically to increase its role in data analysis and dialogues with third countries on IUU fishing.

APA

ClientEarth (2019). Joint NGO priorities on the revision of the EU Fisheries Control System. https://www.clientearth.org/media/ho4nimkg/joint-ngo-priorities-on-the-revision-of-the-eu-fisheries-control-system-coll-en.pdf

Chicago

ClientEarth. Joint NGO priorities on the revision of the EU Fisheries Control System. 2019. https://www.clientearth.org/media/ho4nimkg/joint-ngo-priorities-on-the-revision-of-the-eu-fisheries-control-system-coll-en.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=ClientEarth |title=Joint NGO priorities on the revision of the EU Fisheries Control System |date=November 2019 |url=https://www.clientearth.org/media/ho4nimkg/joint-ngo-priorities-on-the-revision-of-the-eu-fisheries-control-system-coll-en.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{clientearth2019joint, author = {{ClientEarth}}, title = {{Joint NGO priorities on the revision of the EU Fisheries Control System}}, publisher = {ClientEarth}, year = {2019}, month = nov, url = {https://www.clientearth.org/media/ho4nimkg/joint-ngo-priorities-on-the-revision-of-the-eu-fisheries-control-system-coll-en.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }