The European Parliament's Fisheries Committee (PECH) held a public hearing on 3 June 2026 to examine fisheries-related crimes and illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, with a focus on protecting EU fishers. Chair Carmen Crespo Díaz (EPP) opened the session, followed by EPP coordinator Isabelle Le Callennec, who stated that up to a third of global catches may be illegal, worth over €1 billion, and pointed to persistent problems with reflagging, flags of convenience, and weak sanctions. She cited IUU fishing by Tunisia, Turkey, and Morocco in the Mediterranean, and Chinese fleets in African waters.
Ian Urbina of the Outlaw Ocean Project presented findings on forced labor and illegal fishing in the global fishmeal supply chain, particularly in China's Xinjiang and Tibet regions, noting that seafood from these areas reaches EU markets despite repression. He urged use of the EU's forced labor regulation and IUU carding system. Julien Daudu of the Environmental Justice Foundation showed a film on a 'ghost fleet' that went stateless and used illegal transshipments, calling for transparency, digital catch records, and full implementation of the forced labor ban. Vera Van der Horst of Oceana Europe detailed a Spanish investigation into the 'Kunlun' vessels, which changed names 26 times and used flags of convenience, resulting in €17.8 million in fines. She noted that 105 EU-owned vessels are flagged to flags of convenience or yellow-carded countries, undermining sustainability and fair competition.
the GFCM regulation (rapporteur Željana Zovko, EPP) was adopted with 23 votes in favor, 3 against, 1 abstention; a delegated act on Baltic harbor porpoise bycatch mitigation was rejected (13 for, 13 against, 1 abstention). Next steps include an extraordinary PECH session on 9 July in Strasbourg. Affected stakeholders include EU fishers, third-country fleets, seafood importers, certification bodies, and human rights advocates.