Towards an international legal definition of the notion of fisheries crime

Abstract

Over recent years, importance has been attributed to the application of criminal sanctions in the fight against IUU fishing due to the seriousness of the threat it represents for the conservation of marine living resources. This trend towards the criminalisation of certain activities related with IUU fishing has given rise to the appearance of the notion of fisheries crime, which is increasingly employed in certain international forums. However, from a legal point of view, this term does not define a new type of crime applicable to fisheries activity. Rather, it seeks to demonstrate that certain fishing-related offences are criminal in nature. Thus, it is important to define the scope of this notion of fisheries crime in order to determine what criminal offences are included within this category. Depending on its degree of connection with fisheries activity, fisheries crime covers three separate categories of crimes: the crime of illegal fishing, illicit fisheries-related crimes and crimes committed in the context of the fisheries sector.