The EU says it wants to lead the global fight against overfishing – especially the kind that happens out of sight and off the books. But to stay credible, it has to actually enforce the rules it already agreed to.
Those rules give authorities digital tools to track fishing activity and catch illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing. In simple terms: they help make sure no one is cheating the system. These measures are about transparency and fairness. If the EU weakens them, it risks undermining its own leadership on protecting the ocean.
If it wants to be taken seriously on the world stage, it needs to fully implement – not water down – these rules.
Our joint letter to Costas Kadis, European Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans, calls on him to stay his course on combating illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing by delivering digital and effective fisheries control. Read the letter in full here.
Posted on: 17 February 2026
