Holding the EU Council Presidency, Cyprus has an opportunity to turn political commitments into practical measures and strengthen the EU’s credibility in tackling illegal fishing.
Oceana calls on the Cypriot government to collect information on Cypriot companies that own fishing vessels in non-EU countries to close a critical enforcement gap. The organisation warns that this lack of transparency could enable illegal fishing to persist, which creates unfair competition among fishing businesses.
“Transparency on vessel ownership is essential to enforce fisheries rules, ensure illegal activities do not go unpunished, and prevent compliant operators from being undercut. The implications of inaction are significant. We have identified at least 105 EU-owned vessels registered to 20 different high-risk countries - and almost a third of these vessels are authorised to export their catches to the EU. To ensure that the EU-market is free of illegally caught seafood, Member States need to improve both the accountability and control of these EU-owned vessels.” says Vanya Vulperhorst, illegal fishing and transparency campaign director at Oceana.
A recent Oceana report found links between Cypriot interests and vessels registered in jurisdictions such as Belize and Equatorial Guinea, both associated with weak oversight and limited control.
Effective enforcement depends on knowing who is ultimately responsible for illicit activities. When ownership is obscured, authorities struggle to investigate offences, impose sanctions and prevent profits from illegal activities flowing back into the EU. This also creates an uneven playing field for compliant operators, who follow the rules on monitoring, reporting and sustainability.
The issue reflects a wider structural problem in the global fishing industry. Vessel owners can register their vessels under foreign flags with weaker regulation, while the profits reach the EU through complex corporate arrangements. This allows them to avoid stricter EU standards and limits the ability of authorities to identify who benefits from fishing activities.
In June, governments from around the world will convene in Kenya for the Our Ocean Conference. On this occasion, Oceana is calling on Cyprus and the EU to make tangible commitments on fisheries transparency and to strengthen global efforts to improve access to information on vessel ownership, licensing, and monitoring. In particular, Oceana urges Cyprus’ Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, Maria Panagiotou, to position Cyprus on the forefront of the international fight against illegal fishing at the Our Ocean Conference.
