March 04, 2020 / By mobanmarket
Belize, Fiji, Panama, Togo and Vanuatu will not face sanctions, but Sri Lanka fails to tackle problems in its fishing sector.Commission punishes Sri Lanka over illegal fishing
The European Commission today (14 October) announced that it will ban imports of fish from Sri Lanka because of illegal fishing in the country.
Despite four years of talks, the Commission found that Sri Lanka could not demonstrate that it had made enough efforts to tackle illegal fishing. The main weaknesses include a lack of control measures and failure to comply with international and regional fisheries rules.
Belize, Fiji, Panama, Togo and Vanuatu will not face sanctions as they have taken steps to improve their fisheries sectors, the Commission said. Trade sanctions imposed on Belize in March are to be lifted.
Maria Damanaki, the European commissioner for maritime affairs and fisheries, said: “Five countries receive today our appreciation for getting serious on illegal fishing. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for Sri Lanka. I hope that the message we are sending today will be a wake-up call.”
Environmental groups welcomed the decision, saying that it showed “the EU’s legislation to prevent illegally caught fish entering its trade area was proving successful”. The measures will come into force in January 2015.
Fisheries ministers from the EU’s member states yesterday (13 October) discussed fishing catch limits in the Baltic Sea. They decided that the total allowable catch will be increased by 12% compared to 2014.
The ministers also discussed the consequences on the management of fish stocks caused by a Russian ban on EU fishing products. In order to deal with the lower prices as a result of the ban, one proposed solution is to transfer a part of this year’s fishing quota to 2015. A final decision is expected at a meeting of the EU leaders at the end of this month.
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