International cooperation against fisheries crime

- To combat illegal and unregulated fishing one must look at the entire chain of industry. The aim is to bring the perpetrators to justice - not just their boats. To become more effective, we must work across both agencies and borders, says Norway’s Minister of Fisheries Elisabeth Aspaker.

Norway has initiated a new international cooperation against financial crime in the fisheries sector, and today the North Atlantic Fisheries Intelligence Group was founded in Oslo. Norway, Great Britain, Germany, Netherlands, Ireland, Denmark and Iceland participate in the working group, which will strive to uncover economic crime in the fishing industry.

- Illegal fishing and trading is not only a threat to sustainability and the environment, it also provides the basis for a vast black economy. The fisheries sector is international and knows no boundaries, and we must have zero tolerance for illegal fishing, whether it happens in our waters or elsewhere, says Norway’s Minister of Fisheries Elisabeth Aspaker.

Under the North-Atlantic Fisheries Intelligence Group authorities within fisheries, customs and tax will work together to strengthen the information exchange on everything from illegal flow of capital to social dumping within the fishing industry.