Transhipment at Sea: The Need for a Ban in West Africa draws heavily on the evidence EJF has gathered through its work towards the eradication of IUU, or ‘pirate’ fishing in West Africa. It explains how the international movement of fisheries products – both legal and illegal – often depends upon transhipments. The complexities involvement in fisheries regulations mean that transhipments can be problematic and are often linked to illegal fishing activities. EJF’s call on coastal and flag States to ban transhipments at sea in West Africa is part of the wider effort to combat IUU, or ‘pirate’, fishing.

This new briefing discusses the lack of control in authorised transhipments and the fact that illegal transhipment at sea is widely used by IUU fishing vessels to gain access to market. It makes the case for a ban on transhipments of fish at sea in West Africa as well as a ban on the entry of seafood from such transhipments into the European market.