Illegal fishery

Illegal fishing is also referred  to as IUU. IUU stands for illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing practices. Illegal fishing practices undermine good fisheries management and create unfair competition in the market. In addition, illegal fishing is often combined with other illegal practices.

The consequences of illegal fishing

Illegal fisheries often do not comply with the rules laid down by public authorities. For example, fishing quotas are ignored, putting even more pressure on already endangered fish stocks. This ultimately poses a risk to food security.

In addition, fish caught illegally can very easily enter the food chain. This is because in fish processing, illegally caught fish can be mixed with legally caught fish. As a result, consumers unwittingly maintain illegal fishing.

The link with illegal practices

In addition to the problems arising from the illegal catching of fish, illegal fishing is often linked to other illegal practices, like slavery. Tax fraud and drug trafficking are also relatively common. In addition, large, international fisheries catch all the fish off of the coasts of developing countries. This is disastrous for the people of these developing countries because the fisheries sector is their main source of income and food.

What is The Netherlands doing about this?

With its largest port in Europe, The Netherlands can play an important role in tackling illegal fishing. Despite the fact that Rotterdam is the main import route to the Netherlands and other EU countries, there is no obligation to inspect containers. As a result, illegally caught fish can easily end up in Europe.