Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing

A stroll through a Chinese street market offers a glimpse into centuries-old traditions, showcasing jars and pouches filled with herbs, spices, medicinal ingredients, and even dried seahorses and fish. Among these, swimming bladders—known as the “cocaine of the seas”—have become a prized item on display.

Greece could mitigate the effects of overfishing and environmentally damaging activities and reap significant revenue by investing in marine parks, according to a report by the international organization Pristine Seas, delivered last month to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. 

The vessel known as the "Ruen," operated by the "Navigation Maritime Bulgare," has arrived in Varna for repairs, as announced by Captain Alexander Kalchev, who serves as the executive director of the shipping company and as reported by BNR.

Fishery products confiscated during inspections against illegal fishing activities have been donated to social welfare institutions, Agriculture and Forestry Minister İbrahim Yumaklı has said.

The Agriculture and Forestry Ministry has conducted approximately 67,000 inspections in the first half of the year as part of its campaign against illegal fishing, fining thousands of fishermen and workplaces who did not comply with the regulations.

In the first six months of 2023, the General Directorate of Fisheries and Aquaculture teams conducted 66,764 inspections.

Fines of more than 37 million Turkish Liras ($2.1 million) were given during inspections for illegal fishing, while 480 tons of fishery products and 169 ships without fishing licenses were confiscated in 2022, the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry has announced.

The ministry stated that 199,702 inspections were carried out against illegal fishing last year.

Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias has sent a letter to Vice President of the European Commission and High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell calling for the implementation of the regulation banning imports of fish from Turkey into the EU due to the practice of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing by Turkish vessels in Greek terri

The United States has said it will step up cooperation with Vietnam and Taiwan among others to combat illegal fishing, a problem that environmentalists and Western nations increasingly attribute to China.

U.S. President Joe Biden signed a memorandum that aimed to step up coordination and enforcement within the US government against illegal fishing and the use of forced labor.

Some 262,297 tons of fish were caught in seas surrounding Turkey in 2021, with the anchovy topping the list, the country's official statistical institution, TÜİK, announced.

"When the distribution of sea fish caught was examined, the highest quantity is anchovy with some 151,598 tons," TÜİK said in a statement on June 2.

The amount of fish caught in 2021 has decreased across the country, while water pollution and overfishing have reduced the fish stock in the Black Sea, according to an expert.

Stressing especially on overfishing, Ahmet Şahin from Sürmene Marine Sciences Faculty of Karadeniz Technical University (KTÜ), warned, "The amount of fish caught in the Black Sea decreased visibly."