On 15 September 2026, the European Parliament approved an agreement to incorporate international fisheries conservation measures into EU law. The adopted text belongs to legislative procedure 2025/0106(COD). There were 559 votes in favour, 48 against and 62 abstentions.
Protection for whale sharks and mobulid rays
The package aims to reduce the impact of fishing on marine ecosystems and threatened species that are not targeted by fisheries. These include whale sharks, rays of the family Mobulidae and sea turtles.
For fisheries under the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), EFE describes, among other measures, bans on retaining caught whale sharks on board, transferring them to other vessels or landing them. Protection measures are also envisaged for mobulid rays.
Transposing international rules into European law
The agreement covers measures from six regional fisheries management organisations. Alongside species protection, it addresses control requirements and clearer rules for fisheries. According to EFE, rapporteur Thomas Bajada emphasises that international requirements are only effective if they are enforced in practice.
Parliamentary approval and entry into force are separate steps
The vote establishes Parliament’s approval. It does not, by itself, mean that the new regulation has entered into force. The procedure overview available on 16 September did not yet include all the latest steps and continued to show an older processing status. It currently provides no basis for establishing a binding date of entry into force.
