European Fisheries Control Agency - EFCA

23/06/2026

Protecting Europe's seas takes teamwork. 🌊

Every day, coast guard functions authorities across Europe work together to respond to shared challenges at sea.

Through the European Cooperation on Coast Guard Functions, EFCA, the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) and Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency support national authorities by sharing expertise, strengthening skills and developing common approaches that make cooperation more effective across borders.

🎥 Watch the video to discover how this partnership is helping build a stronger, safer maritime Europe.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Avx20EnZ5B0

23/06/2026

🎣 alert!

A new Real-Time Closure has been established by Denmark in their waters of The .

🗓️From 24 June 00:00 – 13 July 23:59 (21 days).

More information here ℹ️ http://bit.ly/3LfFzuB

22/06/2026

Western Indian Ocean in focus at the Our Ocean Conference 🌊🎣

In Mombasa, we joined partners for the launch of the Sustainable Western Indian Ocean Programme (SWIOP), a €60 million EU Global Gateway initiative supporting stronger ocean governance and cooperation at sea across the region.

During the SWIOP side event, our Executive Director, Susan Steele, highlighted how the programme is an opportunity to move rapidly from strategy to tangible results, with EFCA contributing to Objective 1 by strengthening regional and national capacities to prevent and combat IUU fishing.

Our work is already underway through:

🔹 Joint patrols at sea with OSIRIS II
🔹Hands-on training for regional fisheries inspectors
🔹 Coordination support via the Regional Coordination Centre in Seychelles
🔹 Space-based surveillance and strengthened analytical capacities

📍The following day, we participated in the first SWIOP Steering Committee meeting, reviewing progress achieved during the inception phase and discussing the next steps.

For EFCA, SWIOP is about supporting countries through practical cooperation, stronger operational capacity and effective fisheries control at sea.

17/06/2026

🚀 Call for applications: EFCA Industry Days 2026

Are you developing innovative technologies for fisheries control?

Technology companies and institutions are invited to join Industry Days 2026 in Vigo, where you can:
🔍 Showcase your technology
🤝 Connect with authorities and stakeholders
🌊 Contribute to more effective fisheries monitoring

Focus areas this year:
✔️ Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM)
✔️ Unmanned Aerial Surveillance (UAS/RPAS) [efca.europa.eu]

📅 Apply by 10 August 2026
👉 More info: https://www.efca.europa.eu/en/Industry-days

12/06/2026

MAC & AAC turned 10! 🎉

At the 10th anniversary of the Market Advisory Council (MAC) and the Aquaculture Advisory Council (AAC), participants reflected on how Advisory Councils have evolved into key platforms for stakeholder engagement in EU fisheries and aquaculture governance, while also exploring future opportunities for sustainable EU aquaculture production and EU seafood markets.

We contributed to this reflection through a panel on their evolution and achievements, underlining the importance of continuous dialogue between stakeholders and institutions.

As our Executive Director often says:

👉 “The Advisory Councils are EFCA’s eyes and ears on the ground, and we are very grateful for their contribution at our Advisory Board.”

11/06/2026

🎣 alert!

A new Real-Time Closure has been established by Denmark in their waters of The .

🗓️From 12 June 00:00 – 02 July 23:59 (21 days).

More information here ℹ️ http://bit.ly/3LfFzuB

11/06/2026

📍 Nice 🇫🇷

This week, the Working Group on Monitoring and Control Measures brings together experts to strengthen fisheries control across the Mediterranean and Black Sea.

Leading discussions on the new GFCM compliance assessment mechanism and advancing measures to tackle illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. Key topics include vessel identification, catch documentation schemes, joint inspection programmes and the monitoring of small-scale fisheries.

Drawing on our technical expertise in fisheries control, we support the work of the European Commission in advancing effective and coordinated approaches to compliance and monitoring in the GFCM framework.

A shared effort to improve compliance and promote sustainable fisheries.

10/06/2026

The Annual European Coast Guard Event 2026 has come to a close in Ponta Delgada 🇵🇹.

A longstanding tradition marks the conclusion of the event: the handover of the ship's bell, symbolising a change of watch in the Tripartite Working Arrangement on European Coast Guard Functions Cooperation.



This year, EFCA takes over the rotating chairmanship from EMSA. During the ceremony, our Executive Director, Dr Susan Steele, received the bell from EMSA Executive Director Maja Markovčić Kostelac.



More than a symbolic gesture, the handover reflects the continuity of the partnership between EFCA, EMSA, the European Maritime Safety Agency and Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard AgencyFrontex, working together to support national authorities through information sharing, capacity building and multipurpose maritime operations.



We look forward to building on this cooperation and further strengthening maritime safety, security and fisheries control across Europe.

09/06/2026

The Annual European Coast Guard Event 2026 opened today in Ponta Delgada, Azores, bringing together coast guard authorities, EU agencies and maritime experts from across Europe to discuss how we can work better together at sea.

Hosted by EMSA , this year's event focuses on strengthening operational cooperation, regional partnerships and the collective response to maritime challenges.

EFCA is pleased to be part of the conversation, with our Executive Director Dr Susan Steele participating in the high-level panel on “From breaking silos to operational cooperation: 10 years of enhanced support.”

As Dr Steele highlighted: “Effective cooperation at sea is built on trust, shared information and coordinated action. Over the past decade, we've shown that working together makes Europe's waters safer and more secure.”

Over the next two days, we will explore ways to further strengthen cooperation across coast guard functions and support safer, more secure and sustainable seas.

09/06/2026