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The EU proposal would establish clearer definitions for driftnets, prohibit their possession on vessels that target certain species, and extend restrictions beyond the Mediterranean to parts of the Atlantic Ocean.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe EU has the clear ambition to push for the adoption of this measure at this year\u2019s annual meeting of ICCAT (in November),\u201d an EU official told Mongabay via email.<\/p>\n
ICCAT has 52 member parties, including the EU, and four additional cooperating nations. The majority of its member parties have been in favor of firmer driftnet regulations. However, since decisions are taken through consensus, any opposition from a member party can prevent a proposal from being adopted.<\/p>\n
New evidence of illegal driftnet use<\/h2>\n
Governments have debated driftnets for decades. The current proposal comes amid renewed allegations that, despite existing restrictions, driftnets continue to be used widely in the Mediterranean Sea.<\/p>\n
In May, the United Kingdom-based nonprofit organization Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) released\u00a0footage\u00a0showing the impact of these nets on wildlife in the Alboran Sea, between Morocco and Spain. The sea is\u00a0considered\u00a0an important ecological corridor connecting the Atlantic Ocean with the Mediterranean basin. Scientists and conservation organizations have long raised the\u00a0concern\u00a0that bycatch from driftnets poses a threat to migratory species already under pressure from overfishing, habitat degradation and climate change.<\/p>\n
EJF documented sharks, dolphins and whales caught in large driftnets, as well as so-called \u201cghost nets\u201d \u2014 nets that were lost or abandoned and continue to trap animals. An\u00a0investigation\u00a0conducted by EJF between August and September 2024 documented 843 Moroccan vessels carrying driftnets operating from the Moroccan port towns of Tangier, Al Hoceima, Sidi Hsa\u00efn, Nador and M\u2019Diq.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can see that it is having an impact on precious ecosystems in a unique area, which is the Alboran Sea,\u201d Jes\u00fas Urios Culia\u00f1ez, an ocean policy officer at EJF and the investigation\u2019s lead researcher, told Mongabay in a phone interview.<\/p>\n EJF called for action from multiple stakeholders, including the EU as well as the governments of Spain and Morocco. The EU is the largest importer of Moroccan swordfish, mostly through Spain, according to EJF. While Spanish vessels were not implicated in the investigation, the EJF found Moroccan vessels using large driftnets in both the Spanish and Moroccan exclusive economic zones.<\/p>\n The allegations come as Morocco has emerged as one of the strongest supporters of tighter driftnet regulation. At ICCAT\u2019s annual meeting in 2025, the North African country \u2014 together with the European Union and South Korea \u2014 was a major driver of a previous proposal to restrict driftnets, which failed to achieve a consensus vote.<\/p>\n Mongabay contacted the Moroccan Department of Maritime Fisheries about the allegations raised by EJF, the country\u2019s engagement with the EU proposal and measures it\u2019s taken to enforce the existing rules, but did not receive a response by publication time.<\/p>\n In August 2025, Zakia Driouich, Morocco\u2019s secretary of state at the Ministry for Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development and Water and Forests, sent an\u00a0email\u00a0to the European Commission responding to allegations of illegal driftnet use by Moroccan vessels. In the email, Driouich wrote that Morocco has adopted multiple measures \u201cto ensure the effective implementation of the national programme for the elimination of driftnets.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe see this as a very positive step that Morocco is engaging constructively and positively, but we also hope that this translates into a real ban,\u201d Urios Culia\u00f1ez said.<\/p>\n The renewed debate within ICCAT around driftnets in the Mediterranean is highly technical as it aims to identify the legislative loopholes that have made enforcement difficult. One of those gaps lies in the fact that driftnets are not banned entirely in the Mediterranean.<\/p>\n Currently, the ICCAT\u00a0prohibition\u00a0only applies to the use of driftnets in large pelagic fisheries targeting highly migratory species such as swordfish and tuna in the Mediterranean. The General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM), which shares responsibility for fisheries management in the Mediterranean with ICCAT, separately bans the use or carrying of driftnets measuring more than 2.5 kilometers (1.55 miles) in length. However, according to the EU official, neither \u201clarge pelagic fishery\u201d nor \u201cdriftnet\u201d is clearly defined under the existing measures, and driftnets can be used in fisheries for small pelagic species, as long as the nets are less than 2.5 km long.<\/p>\n According to the European Commission, inspections conducted under ICCAT monitoring schemes have repeatedly identified vessels carrying driftnets, but enforcement action proved difficult because inspectors lacked a sufficiently clear legal basis.<\/p>\n \u201cThe lack of a definition of driftnets makes it difficult to determine the infringement when this gear is detected on board,\u201d the EU spokesperson said.<\/p>\n Another challenge is that present ICCAT rules prohibit the use of large pelagic nets, but not the possession of such driftnets on board vessels. The EU proposal pushes for that to change as well.<\/p>\n In the draft proposal sitting with ICCAT, officials acknowledged that \u201cweaknesses have been identified in the enforceability of the current ban.\u201d The proposal seeks to strengthen the existing framework on driftnets by extending the geographic scope, and defining terms and the list of prohibited species. It would also impose a ban on the possession on board and use of driftnets for large pelagic species.<\/p>\n For environmental groups like EJF, however, a real solution requires going beyond legal definitions.<\/p>\n \u201cThe European Union should cooperate with Morocco to help to make sure that this ban is fully implemented and supported,\u201d said Urios Culia\u00f1ez, adding that the EU should also reinforce its existing controls to make sure no swordfish or tuna caught with the lethal gear enters into the European market.<\/p>\n In its report, EJF stated that \u201cEU Member States may be importing swordfish caught illegally by driftnet vessels, potentially violating EU regulations,\u201d and called for more stringent enforcement and import rules.<\/p>\n Urios Culia\u00f1ez also said swordfish fishing is an important source of income for many coastal communities in Morocco. He told Mongabay that some fishers EJF spoke to are open to transition, and that more stringent enforcement efforts would ideally be coupled with support for fishers transitioning to alternative gear and livelihoods.<\/p>\n Following the technical meetings in June, EU officials Mongabay spoke to said contracting parties remained broadly supportive of the current ICCAT proposal, which will come to a vote at the annual meeting in November.<\/p>\n The similar proposal presented at the ICCAT annual meeting in 2025 nearly reached the consensus necessary to adopt a regulation. According to Urios Culia\u00f1ez, that proposal failed to gain consensus after objections raised by the United States.<\/p>\n Mongabay contacted the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for comment, but had not received a response by publication time.<\/p>\nLegislative loopholes<\/h2>\n
From paper to practice<\/h2>\n
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