Council Regulation (EC) Regulation No. 1005/2008 And Current Practices In Belize

IUU (Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated) fishing is a term commonly used in the fishing industry worldwide. IUU practices pose a major threat to the sustainable exploitation of living aquatic resources and to regional and international efforts to protect marine biodiversity. It is estimated that IUU fishing activities represent US$15 billion per year and it is equivalent to almost 20% of the catch value that is reported worldwide.

In an effort to prevent, deter and eliminate IUU fishing, the European Union implemented Council Regulation (EC) No 1005/2008 on September 29th 2008 ("Regulation 1005/2008") which entered into force on 1st January 2010.

Regulation 1005/2008 regulates the importation of fish products both processed and unprocessed (with some exceptions) to the EU either by EU flagged vessels or third country vessels (non-EU Member State). It also aims to regulate fishing activities of EU vessels exporting fish products outside the EU. As prescribed by Regulation 1005/2008, it is essential that EU Member States, third countries and the Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMO's) cooperate mutually so compliance with the different rules can be implemented as much as possible in all countries with fishing activities.

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