The countries — Belize, Cambodia and Guinea — have not done enough to curb illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. The 24 March ban means that European Union member countries cannot accept seafood from those countries, nor can E.U. vessels fish in those nations' waters.
"These decisions are historic. They demonstrate that the EU is leading by example in the fight against illegal fishing," said Maria Damanaki, commissioner for maritime affairs and fisheries. "I hope that this blacklisting will act as a catalyst for Belize, Cambodia, and Guinea to step up their efforts and work with the international community to eliminate illegal fishing."
In 2012, Damanaki issued a warning to the three countries and eight others, but in a 2013 statement, Damanaki said Belize, Cambodia and Guinea all showed little progress in addressing the issue.
Four environmental groups — Oceana, the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF), the Pew Charitable Trusts and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) all issued a joint statement praising the ban.
"Closing the world's most valuable seafood market to countries that do not cooperate in fighting illegal fishing is a crucial step, and we applaud the EU for taking this decision," said Steve Trent, EJF's executive director.
In the statement, the groups estimated IUU fishing costs between EUR 7 billion and EUR 17 billion annually.
"The EU's efforts to tackle IUU fishing worldwide have truly materialized today with this unprecedented step," said Maria José Cornax, fisheries campaign manager at Oceana. "We hope that fishing nations around the world are looking today at the EU's leadership, and are ready to follow this newly opened path towards the definitive elimination of IUU fishing."
The initial 2012 warning went out to Belize, Cambodia, Fiji, Guinea, Panama, Sri Lanka, Togo and Vanuatu. The commission engaged in dialogue with the countries concerned, and gave them time to remedy the situation. The commission later found that Fiji, Panama, Sri Lanka, Togo and Vanuatu had taken sufficient steps to address IUU fishing.
"There must be consequences for persistent inaction after repeated warnings," said Eszter Hidas, E.U. policy lead for WWF's transparent seas project. "We expect that Belize, Cambodia and Guinea will now take immediate action to impose effective fishing regulations."
Now, the groups and the commission will be turning their attention to three other countries — Curaçao, Ghana, and South Korea — which also got a warning in November 2013.
"The Council, by adopting this red list on non-compliant countries, has achieved a milestone in fighting illegal fishing," said Tony Long, director of the ending illegal fishing project at Pew Charitable Trusts. "This shows that the European Union is serious about confronting countries that do not stop illegal fishing or continue to trade in illegally caught fish."
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) After a fairly strong upward trend in 2025, Vietnam’s clam exports entered 2026 with a mixed picture: strong growth at the beginning of the year, followed by a slowdown from March onward. According to Vietnam Customs data, Vietnam’s clam export turnover in the first four months of 2026 reached more than USD 38 million, up 2% compared to the same period in 2025.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s pangasius industry is facing new opportunities to expand its development space as many localities and businesses begin promoting marine farming models aimed at diversifying farming areas and adapting to climate change. However, for pangasius to truly “go offshore” and develop into a large-scale industry segment, significant challenges related to technology, broodstock, and markets still need to be addressed.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s tilapia exports in April 2026 reached USD 11 million, up 92% compared to the same period in 2025. This strong growth indicates that Vietnamese tilapia products are continuing to penetrate and expand rapidly in international markets. Cumulative export turnover in the first four months of 2026 reached USD 49 million, up 151% year-on-year.
(seafood.vasep.com) At VietShrimp Asia 2026, disease management trends in shrimp farming are shifting strongly from treatment-based approaches toward proactive prevention through environmental and pond ecosystem control.
(vasep.com.vn) After a period of strong growth, with export turnover reaching USD 38 million in Q1/2026 — up 174% year-on-year — the sector’s rapid expansion clearly reflects growing market opportunities.
(vasep.com.vn) In the first quarter of 2026, Vietnam’s pangasius exports to the ASEAN bloc reached USD 44 million, up 7% compared to the same period in 2025. After falling to the lowest level of the quarter at USD 9 million in February — reflecting the seasonal slowdown in orders after the festive period — exports recovered strongly to USD 18 million in March, the highest monthly value of the quarter. This development shows that import demand for pangasius in ASEAN remains relatively stable despite short-term fluctuations.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On May 11, 2026, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced a positive comparability finding for Vietnam’s swimming crab fisheries, along with those of Indonesia and Sri Lanka, under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). With this decision, seafood and seafood products harvested from Vietnam’s swimming crab fisheries will continue to be eligible for import into the US market.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) After a slowdown in 2025, Vietnam’s tuna exports to Germany showed more positive signs in the first quarter of 2026. However, the recovery remains uncertain as consumer demand in Germany is still cautious, while market competition is increasingly driven by pricing and supply stability.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) After a sharp decline in 2025, Vietnam’s tuna exports to Israel are showing positive signs of recovery in the early months of 2026. According to Vietnam Customs data, export turnover to this market grew steadily month by month in Q1/2026, reaching nearly USD 10 million, up 33% compared to the same period in 2025. However, compared to Q1/2024, this level remains significantly lower, indicating that the recovery is still in its early stage following last year’s strong adjustment.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Entering 2026, the U.S. whitefish market has shown complex developments as global cod supply continues to tighten, while the U.S. trade environment becomes less stable. In this context, the U.S. market has had to become more flexible in sourcing alternative whitefish. However, relying heavily on Alaska pollock is not a long-term solution, as it is a strictly managed fishery with quotas and sustainability regulations, limiting any rapid increase in output to offset cod shortages.
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