EU IUU Fishing Coalition

What EU IUU Fishing Coalition does

The EU IUU Fishing Coalition is a Brussels-based nonprofit advocacy alliance formed in 2015 as a collaboration of five major international environmental NGOs: the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF), Oceana, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), The Pew Charitable Trusts, and WWF. It is not a separate legal entity; the IUU Watch website (iuuwatch.eu) is owned by EJF and serves as the coalition's primary platform. The coalition's mission is to promote EU leadership in improving global fisheries transparency and governance in order to end illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing — a practice that accounts for an estimated one in five fish caught globally and represents USD 10–23 billion in lost economic value annually.

The coalition's core product is the IUU Watch information platform, which aggregates news, resources, policy analysis, and reports on EU IUU Regulation implementation, the catch certification scheme, the EU carding (yellow/red card) process, Member State implementation, and third-country compliance. It also publishes applied toolkits, including the 2025 Fisheries Import Control Scheme Handbook (FICSH), the 2020 comparative toolkit on seafood import control schemes (EU, US, Japan), and contributed to PAS 1550:2017, a Code of Practice for seafood supply chain due diligence. The coalition supported and commended the launch of the EU's CATCH (Computerised System for Catch Certification) on January 10, 2026 — a digital catch certification system replacing the paper-based process that previously handled approximately 250,000 annual certificates. There is no proprietary AI or ML technology stack disclosed; the coalition's "technology" is its content platform and policy influence rather than software development.

The coalition operates on a nonprofit grant-funded model with no commercial products, pricing, or revenue from sales. Financial support is provided by Oceans 5. Its "customers" are non-paying stakeholders: EU institutions and policymakers (primary), third-country fishing nations subject to the EU carding system (primary), and the seafood industry (secondary). Go-to-market is direct policy advocacy and stakeholder engagement rather than commercial distribution. The coalition has six employees and is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium.

Name

EU IUU Fishing Coalition

Legal name

EU IUU Fishing Coalition

Website

https://iuuwatch.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The EU IUU Fishing Coalition is a Brussels-based nonprofit advocacy alliance of five major environmental NGOs (EJF, Oceana, TNC, Pew, WWF) that promotes EU leadership in global fisheries transparency and governance to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fisheries Policy Advocacy

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Administration of Conservation Programs (92412), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (9241)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), International Affairs (9721), Fishing, Hunting And Trapping (900)

akta.pro primary industry

Marine & Freshwater Conservation (BPAGAGAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Coastal & Marine Resources Administration (Oceans, Fisheries, Shorelines) (BPAIAMAI), Oceans, Coastal & Marine Resource Management (BPADALAI), Regulatory & Sanctions Compliance Screening for Maritime Operations (Trade Controls, AML) (TLAHANAL)

Keywords

• Fisheries policy advocacy
• IUU fishing regulation
• Seafood traceability
• Marine conservation
• Ocean governance

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussels

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The EU IUU Fishing Coalition is a non-profit advocacy coalition of five major environmental NGOs (Environmental Justice Foundation, Oceana, The Nature Conservancy, The Pew Charitable Trusts, and WWF) that promotes EU leadership in improving global fisheries transparency and governance to end illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. The coalition maintains the IUU Watch website (iuuwatch.eu) as a public hub for news, policy analysis, reports, and toolkits on IUU fishing and EU regulatory responses. It conducts direct policy engagement with EU institutions, Member State governments, third-country authorities, and industry stakeholders to strengthen implementation of the EU IUU Regulation.

Product overview

The EU IUU Fishing Coalition is a policy and advocacy coalition—not a product company—composed of Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF), Oceana, The Nature Conservancy, The Pew Charitable Trusts, and WWF. The coalition's primary offering is the IUUWatch website (iuuwatch.eu), which serves as an information platform and resource hub promoting EU leadership in improving global fisheries transparency and governance to end IUU fishing. The coalition also produces policy analyses, reports, and toolkits (such as the Fisheries Import Control Scheme Handbook) to support implementation of the EU IUU Regulation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• IUU Watch Website Online information platform and resource hub providing news, policy analysis, reports, and toolkits on illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing issues and EU regulatory responses. Serves EU institutions, Member State governments, third-country authorities, seafood industry, researchers, and civil society.
• Fisheries Import Control Scheme Handbook (FICSH) Comprehensive policy toolkit published by the EU IUU Fishing Coalition for countries seeking to establish or strengthen their Import Control Schemes to combat IUU fishing. Intended for governments, policymakers, and fisheries authorities.
• PAS 1550:2017 Toolbox for Legal, Ethical and Traceable Seafood

Quantifiable outcome

• The EU IUU Regulation, established in 2010, has become the world's strongest regulatory framework for preventing, deterring and eliminating IUU fishing.
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEJF is a founding member of the EU IUU Fishing Coalition. The organization owns the IUU Watch URL and provides investigation capabilities into IUU fishing operations, including documented findings on forced labor in squid fisheries.
• OceanacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOceana is a founding member of the coalition and has launched transparency initiatives including the whofishesfar.org database showcasing EU vessels authorized to fish outside EU waters.
• The Nature Conservancy (TNC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTNC is a founding coalition member contributing expertise on fisheries governance and has developed initiatives such as the Tuna Transparency Pledge.
• The Pew Charitable TrustscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPew is a founding coalition member providing research, policy analysis, and supporting initiatives like the FISH-i Africa program for fisheries enforcement coordination.
• WWFcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWWF is a founding coalition member contributing to various reports and initiatives including PAS 1550:2017 Code of Practice for seafood supply chain due diligence.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Global Fishing Watch: Uses satellite data and AIS to monitor fishing activity and detect IUU behaviour — complementary mission to the coalition, advancing transparency through technology rather than policy advocacy.
• ClientEarth: Environmental law charity using litigation and legal advocacy to enforce environmental regulation including marine protection — comparable European regulatory advocacy model though broader than fisheries.

Direct peers

• Marine Stewardship Council (MSC): Sets global standards for sustainable fishing and seafood traceability through certification — directly comparable to the coalition's work on traceability, supply chain due diligence, and IUU prevention.
• Ocean Conservancy: Major international marine conservation NGO conducting policy advocacy, scientific research, and public campaigns on ocean health including fisheries sustainability — directly comparable in mission and advocacy model to the EU IUU Fishing Coalition.
• TRAFFIC: Wildlife trade monitoring network working on illegal trade in marine and other wild species — overlapping advocacy on transparency, traceability, and combating illegal exploitation of marine resources.
• Sea Shepherd Conservation Society: International marine conservation organisation focused on defending ocean wildlife and combating illegal fishing through direct action — overlapping mission in IUU enforcement advocacy.
• Stop Illegal Fishing: International initiative dedicated to building capacity against IUU fishing in African and global fisheries — closely comparable advocacy mission and geographic focus on developing-country fisheries governance.
• International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF): Industry-supported NGO promoting science-based tuna stock management and sustainable fishing practices — comparable mission and stakeholder engagement model in fisheries governance.
• Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP): Engages seafood buyers and supply chains to drive improvements in fisheries sustainability and IUU prevention — comparable focus area and stakeholder engagement approach (seafood industry, regulators).

Regional players

• Blue Marine Foundation: UK- and EU-focused marine conservation foundation advocating for ocean protection including sustainable fisheries management — comparable mission and European policy engagement focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/iuuwatch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/eu-iuu-fishing-coalition
• Instagraminstagram.com/iuuwatch

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about EU IUU Fishing Coalition