Only a few weeks after the Common Fisheries Policy reform proposals package was released by the European Commission (July 13), which supports the continued efforts to fight Illegal Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) commercial fishing activities, it was revealed that Polish fisheries inspectors and coast guard in Słupsk found half-a-ton of illegally caught cod on a vessel from Kołobrzeg (Koł-180), according to Głos Pomorza newspaper in Słupsk.
The discovery took place in the vicinity of the fish sales center in Słupsk, which is managed by a Kołobrzeg-based Fish Processors Group (Grupa Producentów Ryb). Financially supported by the European Commission, the fish sales centers in Poland, such as the one in Słupsk, will soon become the only places where Polish fishermen will be able to sell their fish in order to ensure compliance, encourage reporting, and exclude the purchase and sale of IUU fish.
The sales center in Słupsk denies it has planned to purchase the illegal cod from Koł-180, according to Głos Pomorza. However, the fact that the owner of Koł-180 is a member of the Fish Processors Group, which operates the Słupsk fish sales center, raises suspicions of corrupt practices. No information whether sanctions will be implemented was provided, or could be found. The information leaked out to the media two weeks after the incident took place in early July.
Although several countries report zero levels for IUU fisheries to International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), indications are that it continues.
For more information see the original source below (in Polish).