Moldovan state establishes national mechanism to prevent import of fish coming from illegal fishing

The government today adopted a draft that establishes a verification mechanism for the origin of fish in Moldova, in order to prevent the introduction into the national market of fish and fish products from illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.

According to the document, importers of fish and fish products will be asked to present, at the time of import, a catch certificate for each batch originating from wild marine fishing. The document will be transmitted through the European Union's electronic traceability system and will be checked by the National Food Safety Agency through veterinary sanitary inspectors at border control points.

“In the absence of the catch certificate, the finding by the veterinary sanitary inspector of detected non-compliance, or the lack of full and conclusive information in the catch certificate, the National Food Safety Agency will prohibit the import into the country of fishery products got from sea and ocean fishing, notifying the competent authority of the exporting country and/or the country of origin of the batch of fishery products of the infringements found during their import,” said the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry (MAIA).

Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing has become a major global problem, severely affecting natural resources and the balance of marine ecosystems. It is estimated that about 40 per cent of the world's commercial fishing comes from such practices, resulting in annual losses of over 843,000 tons of fish, significant quantities for stock regeneration and sustainable maintenance of aquatic resources.

This situation undermines international efforts to combat hunger, promote responsible consumption and production and protect marine life - goals included in the UN Sustainable Development Agenda, added MAIA.