From a friend...
What a crock of s**t! Belize is not an unregulated fishing state. In fact, it has been managing fish stocks for several decades. What particularly is the complaint? It fails to specify fish name, and stock estimates. Unless there are Japanese longliners out there someplace in the world fishing whales and other stuff with Belize registered boats?
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ILLEGAL FISHING : COMMISSION SENDS WARNING TO EIGHT NON-EU STATES Europolitics (daily in English) November 16, 2012 Friday
On 15 November, two years after the entry into force of Regulation (EC) 1005/2008 to prevent, deter and eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, the European Commission has issued a preliminary warning to eight non-EU countries for insufficient measures in this field. This is the first warning to these countries before the Commission officially identifies them as non-cooperative'. If the countries do not mend their ways quickly, they could be the target of trade sanctions. The Commission's warning starts a formal procedure of dialogue and cooperation with these countries with the aim to solve the established shortcomings.
The countries in question are Belize, Cambodia, Fiji, Guinea, Panama, Sri Lanka, Togo and Vanuatu. This is the first decision of its kind and Commissioner Maria Damanaki, in charge of maritime affairs and fisheries, explained the nature of this warning: "This is not a black list, but a yellow card. We want these countries as partners to combat illegal fishing. We want them to improve their legal and control systems as required by international rules. But we also want to signal to the world that the EU will not tolerate IUU fishing - a criminal activity, which undermines the livelihood of fishing communities and depletes fish stocks. It must be eradicated by all means".
The fight against IUU fishing is part of the EU drive to ensure the sustainable use of the sea and its resources. As the world's biggest fish importer, the EU aims to close its markets to illegally caught fish. The Commission considers that the eight countries identified have failed to fulfil their duties as flag, coastal, port or market states in line with international law, such as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea or United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement. For instance, the countries need to amend their legal framework to combat IUU fishing, improve control and monitoring actions or take a proactive role in compliance of international law rules. The Commission has proposed remedial measures, as well as an action plan for each country. The Commission's decision does not, at this stage, entail any measures affecting trade. The eight countries have been notified and given "a reasonable time" to respond and take measures to rectify the situation.
The Commission will individually review progress made by each country six months after the publication of this decision. If the situation has not improved, the EU could take further steps, which could entail trade measures, such as a ban on selling fisheries products to the EU. Damanaki said the EU was prepared to cooperate with all the third countries in question to avoid this. She cited the example of Indonesia, which, over the last year, has actively cooperated with the EU - to the point that it no longer figures on the current list. Damanaki also explained that these provisions are in line with the principles established in the new Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and in fisheries partnership agreements.
The estimated global value of IUU fishing is EUR10 billion per year, and it is said to account for 19% of the reported value of catches. Between 11 and 26 million tonnes of fish are caught illegally a year, which corresponds to at least 15% of world catches. It is estimated that 16% of all sea-caught fish imported into the EU is caught illegally.
AmbergrisCaye.com 
