Critics allege EU’s ‘toxic collusion’ with fishing lobbies is damaging Indian Ocean tuna

Critics allege EU’s ‘toxic collusion’ with fishing lobbies is damaging Indian Ocean tuna

Source: mongabay

2/7/2023

Members of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) agreed to reduce the use of drifting fish-aggregating devices (FADs) and to impose three-month closures on the devices, despite opposition from the European Union.
The EU dominates Indian Ocean tuna fisheries; its fleet of industrial fishing vessels has long reeled in the lion’s share of tuna, including yellowfin, a stock that is now perilously close to collapse.

Through their sheer numbers and influence in EU delegations, industrial fishing lobbyists have stymied efforts to impose appropriate catch quotas and limit the use of destructive fishing gear like FADs used extensively by EU vessels, an investigation by the French NGO BLOOM Association found.
In a statement, the European Commission denied the NGO’s allegations that lobbyists shape its positions at IOTC talks, noting that the pandemic led to increased participation from stakeholders and that these stakeholders were observers and not authorized to negotiate on the commission’s behalf.