A trio of organisations has launched new guidance on how to keep illegal fish out of the supply chain and warned that the UK needs to up its game.
The joint advisory note, issued by the British Retail Consortium, Environmental Justice Foundation and WWF-UK, explains the risks associated with Illegal Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing, which is estimated globally to cost up to $23bn and contains advice on risk assessment, risk mitigation and ways to prevent IUU fishery products entering the supply chain.
The bodies said while the EU’s enforcement of the IUU Regulation was unique globally, it was being “unevenly implemented” by member states and “more needs to be done in the UK to ensure its full success.”
The paper called on the EU to centrally coordinate a database of fish catches.
Other key recommendations included increasing the transparency and traceability of fish supplies, improving port controls to prevent an influx of ‘pirate’ fish supply and equipping large fishing vessels with a unique identification to enable satellite tracking.
“This joint advisory note can empower UK importers, processors and retailers to play an increasingly leading role in bringing this destructive trade to an end,” Tracey Cambridge, WWF-UK fisheries and seafood manager said.
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