Using White-, Gray- and Blacklists to combat IUU fishing

The European Commission was at this time working on the draft proposal for the IUU regulation. One of the main objectives of the Commission's draft Regulation was to integrate the trade dimension of IUU fishing with existing conservation measures. Effectively, this would attempt to eradicate business incentives to fish illegally by making it impossible for fishermen to sell IUU catches at a profit. The Commission proposes tackling this through the introduction of a scheme to ensure that only those fisheries products certified as legal by the Flag State can enter the Community. Listing of vessels to indicate their track record – either negative in terms of blacklists, or positive in terms of whitelists – is an important part of this process.

This study provided an overview and brief analysis of existing vessel lists used for combating IUU fishing to develop key recommendations for the European context. The intent was to indicate the potential role of and necessary requirements for White, Gray and Blacklists to effectively contribute to the fight against IUU in the European Fisheries Sector.