A regulatory evolution that rewards EU fleet excellency

Applicable from 27 January 2026, the new rule requires freezer vessels to demonstrate a validated, continuous process capable of reaching –18 °C in the fish core. Crucially, brine temperature must be monitored electronically in real time, with records available to competent authorities. Only vessels whose capacity has been validated and documented at approval will be entered on an authorised list, a condition for placing tuna on the EU market. This should eliminate fraudulent practices of re-freeze at -18°C tuna that was first frozen at higher temperature and meant for other use, to sell it to consumers as “fresh” or “frozen”. Such practices can make tuna develop dangerous levels of histamine, which poses a serious health risk to consumers.

This new regulation finally aligns market-access conditions with the level of control and investment that characterises the EU fleet. It recognizes the long-term commitment of the EU fleet to measurable performance and verified safety. Long before this regulation, European operators had already equipped their vessels with advanced brine-freezing and monitoring systems, tested and documented under real conditions. The industry did the science and proved the technology to make EU-frozen tuna at –18 °C a global reference for safety and reliability. This is the standard others will now have to match to reach the EU market.

Consumer safety first

The new rule also addresses a public-health concern. When it comes to food safety, alignment of all products sold in the EU with EU standards is a necessity.

Anne-France Mattlet, director of Europêche Tuna Group, insists: “The two latest RASFF alerts in October concerning histamine contamination in tuna from Indonesia and Sri Lanka clearly highlight the need for such a level playing field. European consumers have the right to expect that any tuna sold in the EU is completely safe, regardless of its origin. The high sanitary standards applied by the EU fleet must therefore become the prerequisite for any fleet wishing to access the EU market.”

Press contacts:

Anne-France Mattlet, Europêche Tuna Group Director: anne-france.mattlet@europeche.org

EP Press Release – Tuna Frozen in Brine

Significant progress on tropical tuna management

The adoption of catch limits for skipjack and bigeye, following the previous establishment of management procedures for these stocks, marks a notable advancement towards an efficient, science-based management framework for tropical tunas. With all three major tropical tuna species now under catch limit regimes, the IOTC has laid the groundwork for long-term sustainability.

To complete this framework, IOTC must now take advantage of the good status of yellowfin tuna stock to develop an inclusive management plan and avoid unilateral actions that could compromise sustainable exploitation of tropical tunas in the Indian Ocean.

“This is a milestone for the region,” stated Anne-France Mattlet, Director of the Europêche Tuna Group. “We now have the tools to ensure the long-term sustainability of skipjack, bigeye, and yellowfin——now we need consistent, inclusive implementation across all fleets to make it happen.”

A measure on sharks was also finally adopted, which strengthens fighting against shark finning and improve shark management.

Voting procedure, a threat to the RFMO’s future

While the IOTC remains an essential forum for multilateral cooperation, the adoption of the skipjack measure through a voting procedure—rather than consensus—reflects a broader shift that could challenge the effectiveness of future IOTC measures. Although voting is foreseen in the IOTC rules, the increased use of this mechanism risks a rise in formal objections, weakening the cohesion and enforceability of conservation measures.

Control loopholes and uneven obligations

Of particular concern is the decision to exempt Indonesia from the requirement to deploy IOTC-certified independent observers on at-sea transhipments (IOTC Regional Observer Programme). Given the crucial role of observers in verifying compliance and collecting reliable data, such exemptions may create significant loopholes in monitoring and increase the risk of IUU fishing.

More generally, once again, discussions on high-seas boarding and inspection, shark finning bans, and improved monitoring of gillnet fisheries failed to advance, largely due to persistent opposition from a small group of countries. Despite the EU proposal, crew labour standards were regrettably also absent from the discussions.

Finally, despite clear and repeated signals from the Scientific Committee regarding the poor status of several minor tuna and billfish stocks, IOTC failed to reach agreement on even the most basic measures to address their depletion.

“The growing divide between fleets bound by strict oversight and those operating with minimal controls is extremely worrying,” warned Xavier Leduc, President of the Europêche Tuna Group. “We are witnessing the emergence of a two-speed IOTC: one where certain fleets are held to the highest standards of transparency and sustainability, and another where loopholes and leniency prevail. Sustainable management depends on uniform rules, applied consistently and backed by robust control mechanisms. Without this, we risk eroding the very principles on which the organisation was built.”

Press contacts:

Anne-France Mattlet, Europêche Tuna Group Director: +33 6 78 11 63 01 anne-france.mattlet@europeche.org

Daniel Voces, Managing Director of Europêche: +32 489 26 81 07 daniel.voces@europeche.org

EP Press Release – IOTC

ANABAC, OPAGAC and ORTHONGEL, representing the European distant-water fleet fishing tropical tunas, have warned EU institutions for several month about the impossibility for them to comply with the control regulation on margin of tolerance. This rule imposes that there is a difference of no more than 10% per species between the estimates on board and the actual landed catches.

The sector argues that operating under temperatures above 30°C, skippers only have a few minutes to sort and freeze their catches before the apparition of histamine in the tuna, which makes fish unfit for human consumption. Furthermore, similar target tuna species cannot easily be distinguished from each other in such a short time. Technological solutions are currently being studied by the fleet but will take several years to develop.

Anne-France Mattlet, Europêche Tuna Group Director, stated: “That’s why tropical tuna fleet requests to be able to apply this 10% margin of tolerance not per species but of the whole catch on board. While the European Parliament has adopted a position that takes into account the specificities of the fishing operations in the purse seine fishery, the European Commission refuses to bring any flexibility to the rule. As a consequence, ships and skippers are being sanctioned again and again, accumulating points on their licences. This will unequivocally lead to the suspension of the fishing licences and the immobilization of EU vessels. On the meanwhile, non-EU vessels will keep fishing since they are not subject to the same control, environmental, health and social rules. Some non-EU countries do not even apply the catch limits decided at international level.”

ORTHONGEL, representing the French tuna purse seine fleet, commissioned the Rinzen firm, specialized in independent economic analysis, to evaluate the socio-economic consequences of those sanctions. The verdict is inambiguous: if nothing changes, by 2026, the weight of the sanctions on the turn-over will be so unbearable that ship-owners and 1,600 jobs can simply disappear. Ms Mattlet concluded “the situation might be even worse since the study does not consider the increasing costs of fuel nor the deficit accumulated during COVID. Even during these crisis periods EU tuna vessels kept fishing without being able to generate profit to supply canning factories and maintain employment.”

Those conclusions are equally valid for the Spanish fleet. The jobs of over 2,500 fishers are hanging on by a thread since Spain is currently applying heavy sanctions that are forcing many of their units to stop for over 2 months in port. This is a direct effect of the impossibility for the EU tropical tuna distant water fleet to apply this rule. The Europêche Tuna Group is firmly asking to have a 10% margin of tolerance for the whole catch, at least until technology can solve the complicated sorting of tropical tunas by species.

Rinzen study: http://www.orthongel.fr/special/MargeTolerance/Rinzen_Orthongel_2022_EN.pdf

Press contacts:

Daniel Voces, Managing Director of Europêche: +32 2 230 48 48 daniel.voces@europeche.org

Anne-France Mattlet, Europêche Tuna Group Director : anne-france.mattlet@europeche.org

EP Press Release – Europeche MoT sanctions

The Europêche Tuna Group is comprised of the main two tuna freezer purse-seine organisations in Europe, namely OPAGAC-AGAC and ORTHONGEL. Mrs Anne-France Mattlet has been appointed as its director. She will be in charge of Europêche’s tuna strategy comprised of several pillars: tuna legislation and policy, governance, trade and market, scientific work and the promotion responsible image of EU purse-seine operations. More specifically, she will focus on initiatives such as the revision of the EU fisheries control system, the margin of tolerance and the autonomous tariff quotas for tuna loins.

With over 5 years of experience working on international ocean governance and tuna-related polices within the French administration, Mrs Mattlet has developed an in-depth understanding of fisheries policies decision-making process. She declared: “The EU purse-seine tuna fleet provides a vital source of food, employment, trade and economic welfare not only in Europe but also worldwide, including in developing countries. Operating across the oceans, our vessels comply with the highest standards of sustainability including working conditions, health, safety and hygiene. On top of that, our fleet has voluntarily adopted measures and invested in technology, at their own expense, to ensure optimal data collection. For instance, our vessels have 100% scientific observer coverage onboard and uses only non-entangling devices”. 

Mrs Mattlet is worried that unworkable rules that do not take into account the technical and climatic specificities of tropical tuna fisheries in the EU control system, such as the margin of tolerance, are and would keep penalising the tuna sector. She concluded: “On the market side, we are convinced that the EU should only grant privileged access to non-EU tuna products if they do respect the same social and environmental standards than the EU ones. At present, low standard fish products unfairly compete with our own production in our own market. It is therefore paramount to address policy gaps and ensure an international level playing field, to protect our standards but also to ensure developing countries achieve the same ones, especially through the sustainable fisheries partnership agreements concluded with non-EU countries. We want a sustainable fishery as much as a thriving European tuna fishing sector”.

Javier Garat, President of Europêche, declared: “We are delighted to have Mrs Mattlet in Europêche’s team and warmly welcome her aboard. Her experience and expertise on tuna fisheries affairs will undoubtedly be a valuable asset to our companies in the international arena. I’m sure she will take a pro-active role in advocating fishing activities that are carried out in an environmentally friendly and socially responsible way”.

Press contacts:

Daniel Voces, Managing Director of Europêche: +32 2 230 48 48 daniel.voces@europeche.org

Anne-France Mattlet, Europêche Tuna Group Director: anne-france.mattlet@europeche.org

EP Press Release – Appointment Tuna Group Director