The cost of illegal fishing to EU Member States by 2020 will be 10 billion Euros of lost catches, 8 billion Euros of lost stock value and 27,000 jobs in the fishing and processing industries, a new report says.
The study, commissioned by the Pew Environment Group, added that the true costs are probably much higher, since these estimates only include selected costs and key stocks with clear evidence of illegal fishing.
Illegal fishing takes many forms, including fishing without a license, misreporting of catches, fishing in closed areas or with illegal gear, and taking undersized fish, and Pew had asked the Eftec environmental economics consultancy to analyse the cost of such illegal fishing and the gains that could be secured if it is ended.
Referring to the findings in the study, the Pew Environment Group called on the EU to strengthen its control system by introducing a list of measures, including “meaningful” sanctions for breach of the rules, a monitoring system including all sizes of vessels, and suspension of community aid to the fisheries sector, including the granting of fishing rights, if a member state fails to respect its control obligations.