Over fishing and illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU)
fishing are seriously undermining efforts to protect the world's
last remaining cod stocks. Cod populations have been depleted off
the East Coast of Canada, are on the brink of collapse in the North
and Baltic Seas and are now being seriously over fished in the
Barents Sea.
Despite calls by scientists to significantly reduce and in some
cases stop the fishing for cod altogether, governments allow the
plundering of the world's oceans to continue, ignoring scientific
evidence and turning a blind eye to illegal and destructive fishing
practices. According to estimates from the International Council
for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES), 25% of all cod caught in
the Barents Sea in 2005 was illegal. Much of this fish is landed in
EU ports including the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal and the United
Kingdom. It is then sold on the EU market, either directly or via
processing in China.
"This organised fish crime can continue to thrive because EU
governments are failing to take urgent action", says Farah
Obaidullah, Greenpeace Netherlands Oceans Campaigner. "The Dutch
and to a large extent also the Spanish effectively facilitate the
large-scale laundering of stolen fish [for as long as they allow
the pirate fishing industry to offload their catch in harbours such
as Eemshaven, Marin and Las Palmas".
The Crime File published by Greenpeace Netherlands reveals how
vessels with a history in illegal fishing can offload their catch
in the Dutch harbour of Eemshaven, despite strong indications of
carrying illegal cargo.
Greenpeace investigated cod landings in the Dutch port of
Eemshaven during the first half of 2006. 16 of the 22 vessels that
landed cod in Eemshaven have been involved in IUU fishing, yet none
were subject to a thorough investigation.
Dutch inspection authorities only measure the amount of fish
landed. No verification is done with the Flag State of the catch
vessels involved on the legality of the fish, e.g. if the catch had
been reported and subtracted from any legal quota or not.
Greenpeace has continued to monitor Barents Sea cod landings
into European ports, this week fish from a suspect reefer was
offloaded in Eemshaven, without a proper inspection verifying the
legality of the catch. The vessel is scheduled to head for Spain
with its remaining cargo.
"In a world where bureaucrats fail to take responsibility and
continue shifting the burden of proof on to other governmental
institutions, pirate fishing flourishes, leaving the planet's last
remaining fish populations with little chance of survival. The
situation is clearly out of control," said Obaidullah. "Several
international agreements to combat pirate fishing exist but
governments are not enforcing them. We simply cannot continue to
wait for the last cod to be stolen until governments finally wake
up to wonder where did all the fish go."
Greenpeace is calling on the Dutch and other EU governments to
take global leadership in the fight against illegal fishing and to
start cleaning up their own ports as well as provide funds for
developing countries to better police their waters, where many EU
fleets are now fishing following the depletion of European
fisheries.
Other contacts: Farah Obaidullah, Oceans Campaigner Greenpeace Netherlands: +31 615011161 Truls Gulowsen, Oceans Campaigner, Greenpeace Norway: +47 90107904 Mike Townsley, Press Officer, Greenpeace International: +31 621 296 918
Notes: (1) Vispiratenparadijs Nederland Greenpeace Netherlands
Exp. contact date: 2007-02-13 00:00:00