Spain’s Action to Control and Suppress Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing: Current Status and Future Prospects

Abstract

Abstract The aim of this article is to address the evolution of Spain’s action to fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing during the last thirty years, as well as its future prospects. Currently, Spain strictly complies with the provisions of the international fisheries law and the European Union’s Common Fisheries Policy. In addition, Spain adopted a complex and diverse normative framework, which allows it to establish administrative sanctions against various Spanish individuals and fishing companies, which are suspected of being involved in IUU fishing activities. Moreover, Spanish legal courts and tribunals had to adjudicate in a few cases occasioned by IUU activities. This article analyses the Spanish current legal framework regarding controlling and suppressing IUU fishing, as well as the enforcement of the legal norms in Spain by the public authorities with competences in this field and by the Spanish courts and tribunals.