The European Commission on Friday, 4 December, withdrew the ‘yellow card’ that was given to Kiribati more than four years ago, thanks to the country’s efforts to fight illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (‘IUU fishing’).
Kiribati thus remedied the shortcomings in its fisheries governance (see EUROPE11731/15).
Virginijus Sinkevičius, European Commissioner for Fisheries, welcomed the efforts of Kiribati, who “have cooperated actively with the Commission and addressed effectively the shortcomings in their fisheries control system, becoming a new ally in delivering healthier oceans”.
The country embarked on a series of reforms to bring their fisheries control legislation in line with international law, and is now equipped to deal with illegal fishing effectively.
Kiribati has reviewed its fisheries legal framework and established a sanctioning system acting as a strong deterrent. In addition, traceability has been improved throughout the supply chain by strengthening the controls at ports and introducing a new system of catch certification.
Kiribati has one of the most productive tuna fishing grounds in the Pacific.
The global value of IUU fishing is €10-20 billion per year (11-26 million tonnes of fish).
Procedures in progress: http://bit.ly/32ZeMfN (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)