Making the Landing Obligation Work: Tackling Europe’s Bycatch Crisis Through Fisheries Transparency - Summary: The EU’s Landing Obligation (LO) is intended to reduce waste, encourage selective fishing and improve the catch information used to manage populations. For catches within the LO scope, fishers must retain, record and land catches, including bycatch, and count them against quota where applicable, subject to defined exemptions. More than a decade after the obligation was phased in, and seven years after it became fully applicable, these objectives have not been achieved. This is a summary of the longer briefing from EJF and Oceana, which provides a roadmap for ensuring the EU Landing Obligation’s full implementation.
The EU’s Landing Obligation (LO) is intended to reduce waste, encourage selective fishing and improve the catch information used to manage populations. For catches within the LO scope, fishers must retain, record and land catches, including bycatch, and count them against quota where applicable, subject to defined exemptions. More than a decade after the obligation was phased in, and seven years after it became fully applicable, these objectives have not been achieved.
This is a summary of the the longer briefing from EJF and Oceana, which provides a roadmap for ensuring the EU Landing Obligation’s full implementation.
Making the Landing Obligation Work: Tackling Europe’s Bycatch Crisis Through Fisheries Transparency: The EU’s Landing Obligation (LO) is intended to reduce waste, encourage selective fishing and improve the catch information used to manage populations. For catches within the LO scope, fishers must retain, record and land catches, including bycatch, and count them against quota where applicable, subject to defined exemptions. More than a decade after the obligation was phased in, and seven years after it became fully applicable, these objectives have not been achieved. This briefing from EJF and Oceana provides a roadmap for ensuring the EU Landing Obligation’s full implementation.
The EU’s Landing Obligation (LO) is intended to reduce waste, encourage selective fishing and improve the catch information used to manage populations. For catches within the LO scope, fishers must retain, record and land catches, including bycatch, and count them against quota where applicable, subject to defined exemptions. More than a decade after the obligation was phased in, and seven years after it became fully applicable, these objectives have not been achieved.
This briefing from EJF and Oceana provides a roadmap for ensuring the EU Landing Obligation’s full implementation.
Cut & Run: Exposing Senegal as a gateway for the global shark fin trade: This report reveals extensive shark finning on board Chinese and Taiwanese-owned tuna vessels that call at Dakar, Senegal's main fishing port. Drawing on first-hand testimony from fishers who witnessed this cruel and often illegal practice, the report exposes how fins were routinely landed in Dakar, with enforcement at the port easily evaded or non-existent. It also reveals the high risk of tuna linked to shark finning entering global supply chains. Without urgent action from Senegal and international regulators to close these loopholes, the trade of shark fins will continue unchecked.
This report reveals extensive shark finning on board Chinese and Taiwanese-owned tuna vessels that call at Dakar, Senegal's main fishing port. Drawing on first-hand testimony from fishers who witnessed this cruel and often illegal practice, the report exposes how fins were routinely landed in Dakar, with enforcement at the port easily evaded or non-existent. It also reveals the high risk of tuna linked to shark finning entering global supply chains. Without urgent action from Senegal and international regulators to close these loopholes, the trade of shark fins will continue unchecked.
OUT OF SIGHT, OUT OF CONTROL: The global boom in destructive squid fishing: The Environmental Justice Foundation's new global report exposes what happens aboard distant-water squid vessels operating beyond any oversight, forced labour, physical violence, and deaths at sea across fisheries that supply 60% of the world's squid. The European Union is the world's largest squid importer. What happens out of sight has consequences here.
The Environmental Justice Foundation's new global report exposes what happens aboard distant-water squid vessels operating beyond any oversight, forced labour, physical violence, and deaths at sea across fisheries that supply 60% of the world's squid.
The European Union is the world's largest squid importer. What happens out of sight has consequences here.
The European Ocean Act: Securing Europe’s Ocean Future: Europe’s future security, competitiveness and resilience will be decided at sea. This implementation gap is becoming a strategic vulnerability for Europe, weakening fisheries productivity, offshore infrastructure, maritime supply chains and coastal stability. The European Ocean Act is an opportunity to move from commitments to delivery, ensuring 100% of EU waters are managed sustainably within ecological limits. This policy briefing lays out two strategic imperatives for the Ocean Act.
Europe’s future security, competitiveness and resilience will be decided at sea. This implementation gap is becoming a strategic vulnerability for Europe, weakening fisheries productivity, offshore infrastructure, maritime supply chains and coastal stability. The European Ocean Act is an opportunity to move from commitments to delivery, ensuring 100% of EU waters are managed sustainably within ecological limits. This short briefing lays out two strategic imperatives for the Ocean Act.
The European Ocean Act: Turning Ocean Governance into Delivery: The European Ocean Act represents a critical opportunity to move from fragmented commitments to implementation and measurable delivery, while creating a more coherent and effective framework for EU ocean governance. However, it should not become a deregulatory vehicle for weakening environmental protections. This policy briefing lays out our recommendations for the Ocean Act, which must be implemented ensure it builds Europe's economic security, maritime resilience and strategic autonomy.
The European Ocean Act represents a critical opportunity to move from fragmented commitments to implementation and measurable delivery, while creating a more coherent and effective framework for EU ocean governance. However, it should not become a deregulatory vehicle for weakening environmental protections. This policy briefing lays out our recommendations for the Ocean Act, which must be implemented ensure it builds Europe's economic security, maritime resilience and strategic autonomy.
Joint letter to Cyprus EU Presidency: Upholding the common fisheries policy at the EU Fisheries Directors General and Attachés informal meeting in Cyprus: This letter, signed by the Environmental Justice Foundation, Coalition Clean Baltic, ClientEarth, Oceana, Seas At Risk and WWF EU, urges Mrs Marina Argyrou, Director of the Department of Fisheries and Marine Research of Cyprus and presiding over the informal meeting of EU Fisheries Directors General and Attachés (26-28 April 2026), to resist growing pressure from some Member States to reopen core fisheries legislation under a so-called "simplification package", and to prioritise the full and timely implementation of existing Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) provisions as a prerequisite to achieving sustainable EU fisheries.
This letter, signed by the Environmental Justice Foundation, Coalition Clean Baltic, ClientEarth, Oceana, Seas At Risk and WWF EU, urges Mrs Marina Argyrou, Director of the Department of Fisheries and Marine Research of Cyprus and presiding over the informal meeting of EU Fisheries Directors General and Attachés (26-28 April 2026), to resist growing pressure from some Member States to reopen core fisheries legislation under a so-called "simplification package", and to prioritise the full and timely implementation of existing Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) provisions as a prerequisite to achieving sustainable EU fisheries.
Criminal catches: How to stop the supply of illegal seafood to the UK - Report Summary: The Coalition for Fisheries Transparency is calling on the UK to fully implement the Global Charter for Fisheries Transparency to address illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and human rights abuses in the fisheries sector. The Coalition's report, Criminal catches: How to stop the supply of illegal seafood to the UK, provides detailed evidence on the problems in British seafood supply chains and clear recommendations to address them.
The Coalition for Fisheries Transparency is calling on the UK to fully implement the Global Charter for Fisheries Transparency to address illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and human rights abuses in the fisheries sector. The Coalition's report, Criminal catches: How to stop the supply of illegal seafood to the UK, provides detailed evidence on the problems in British seafood supply chains and clear recommendations to address them.
Citizen scientists of the sea: The power of fisher inclusion in Ghana's closed season monitoring: Fisher inclusion transforms closed seasons from a top-down directive into a community-driven conservation effort. Sustained engagement and recognition of fisher knowledge are essential to rebuilding Ghana’s fish populations and securing the livelihoods of coastal communities.
Why the EU should follow Scotland and require CCTV on ‘supertrawlers’: Ten EU-linked freezer trawlers, all of them so-called supertrawlers over 100m long, spent an estimated 14,530 hours fishing in Scottish waters in the 12 months to 1 February 2026. Since 7 March, Scotland has required cameras on board to monitor trawlers in its waters, and the rest of the UK and EU should follow suit.
Ten EU-linked freezer trawlers, all of them so-called supertrawlers over 100m long, spent an estimated 14,530 hours fishing in Scottish waters in the 12 months to 1 February 2026. Since 7 March, Scotland has required cameras on board to monitor trawlers in its waters, and the rest of the UK and EU should follow suit.
Unseen and unaccountable: The growing threat of China’s squid fleet in the South Pacific: This report exposes the alarming environmental and human rights toll of China’s distant-water squid fleet in the Southeast Pacific. It draws on investigations that reveal widespread shark finning, marine mammal capture, abusive labour practices, and the unloading of deceased crew into Latin American ports. The report also highlights major governance failures: despite early warnings of a decline in the squid population, and calls for urgent reforms to end IUU fishing and forced labour in the world’s most important squid fishery. Watch the webinar where we discuss the findings of this report with experts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4r0CjrHha2E
This report exposes the alarming environmental and human rights toll of China’s distant-water squid fleet in the Southeast Pacific. It draws on investigations that reveal widespread shark finning, marine mammal capture, abusive labour practices, and the unloading of deceased crew into Latin American ports. The report also highlights major governance failures: despite early warnings of a decline in the squid population, and calls for urgent reforms to end IUU fishing and forced labour in the world’s most important squid fishery.
Watch the webinar where we discuss the findings of this report with experts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
Letter to Commissioner Kadis: Staying your course on combating IUU fishing by delivering digital and dissuasive fisheries control: This letter urges European Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans Costas Kadis to stick to his commitments to focus on the “gradual but timely and full implementation of the revised fisheries control system”, which includes CATCH and the Fisheries Control Regulation, to deliver on Europe’s zero-tolerance to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.
This letter urges European Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans Costas Kadis to stick to his commitments to focus on the “gradual but timely and full implementation of the revised fisheries control system”, which includes CATCH and the Fisheries Control Regulation, to deliver on Europe’s zero-tolerance to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.