EU Commission Tells Senegal to Beef up Regulation of Illegal Fishing

The European Commission on May 27 issued a "yellow card" notification to Senegal, telling the country to beef up its "fight against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated" fishing. The decision was made based on "serious shortcomings detected over the last years" with Senegal's compliance, the commission said, adding that it has caught "illegal exportations from Senegal to the EU market."

The notification opens formal talks with Senegal on its regulation of illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and allows the nation to "take measures to rectify the situation within a reasonable time," the commission said. If it doesn't, Senegal will get a "procedure of identification," also known as a "red card," which will result in sanctions. These restrictions may include "the prohibition to export their fishery products to the EU market."