"It's killing marine biodiversity": at the Ocean Summit, France reaffirms its commitment against illegal fishing

It is estimated to represent ten times the total fishing in France. Although it is difficult to measure its scale, illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing is not a marginal phenomenon. It is even the subject of a mobilization in France.

"Illegal fishing kills. It kills marine biodiversity, it kills the maritime economy," asserts Agnès Pannier-Runacher, Minister for Ecological Transition, from Nice. "It kills human rights, since it is a form of fishing that practices forced labor, which is a form of modern slavery."

On the third day of the Ocean Summit, the Minister boarded a French Navy inflatable boat on Wednesday to join the multi-mission frigate Provence , one of the key components of the security system for this United Nations conference, off the coast of Nice.

Beyond its anti-aircraft and anti-submarine defence missions, the frigate is "a vector of State action at sea" , according to the expression of a sailor on board.

Drone surveillance

The fight against illegal fishing is one of the missions that grey boats can take on, as is "serious crime linked to drug trafficking." These illegal practices are particularly prevalent along the coasts of French Guiana. With "bigger, more industrial boats, and their impact is even greater," emphasizes Xavier Ducert, Secretary General for the Sea, during the ministerial visit. "Three-quarters of the boats fishing there are not French ," adds Agnès Pannier-Runacher, " and most of them are breaking the rules."

To combat this and increase its monitoring capabilities, France is relying on satellite observation and, more recently, drones. "Tomorrow, one of the challenges is the use of artificial intelligence to process data, better identify abnormal phenomena, and be able to intervene."

In a country that imports 80% of the fish it consumes, it's difficult to verify with certainty what we eat. " We're vulnerable in terms of origin and the marketing process," the minister admits. "Illegal fishing products can be landed in ports that don't comply with regulations and enter the European market without any traceability."

Salmon on the plate

This circuit, which deliberately dilutes the origin of the product, is called "fish laundering" and it is "unfair competition that is unbearable for our fishermen" .

Illegal fishing accounts for 15% of global catches, worth €15 billion. The main areas affected are concentrated in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, but the North and South Atlantic are not spared. In the Gulf of Guinea, public authorities are observing an alarming decline in marine biodiversity, "with the gradual disappearance of many species."

In 2024, France conducted more than 2,200 maritime inspections, with violations found in 14% of cases. The High Seas Treaty will provide new legal tools, where large international marine protected areas will be created.