An EU-funded social project, ‘Turning Blue’ is capturing attention. It aims to integrate young individuals – aged 16 to 30 – who are serving time in prison into sustainable careers within the Blue Economy sectors. The project will run in five countries until 2026. It includes Portugal, which has a tuna fishing fleet, The Netherlands, Italy, Cyprus, and Romania. The youngsters would be employed in the maritime and aquaculture sectors under the initiative.

Portugal’s maritime triangle comprises mainland Portugal, Madeira, and the Azores, the last two renowned for artisanal fishers catching bigeye. However, it is not yet known whether Portuguese youngsters have started working in the tuna industry under ‘Turning Blue.’ EU tuna industry stakeholders, especially Spanish fleet owners and canners have been complaining about the dearth of youngsters working in the industry and the difficulty in hiring them.

In a joint operation, over 50 Indian fisheries officials and police seized two boats for using banned purse seine nets in the Indian Ocean. The vessels were fishing near the coast of Nagapattinam, a city in the state of Tamil Nadu, located in South India. The artisanal vessels were confiscated, and the seven fishermen were handed over to fisheries officials for further investigation. Authorities confirmed that penalties, including fines, would be imposed. The operation was conducted after increased complaints from local fishing communities about the continued use of purse seine nets, reported Indian news sites.

The Tamil Nadu government imposed a ban on purse seine fishing within its territorial waters in 2020 to protect fish stocks. However, the Supreme Court of India, the topmost court in the country, agreed to hear a plea challenging that ban earlier this month.

The Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) held Operation Rai Balang 2025 from March 3 to 21 to identify IUU fishing in the tuna-rich grounds of the WCPO. During the Operation FFA members conducted 96 boardings, tracked 189 vessel contacts, and identified 7,629 satellite detections. Officials found seven “high-risk vessels of interest.” An FFA statement read that the boats were found to be non-compliant with conservation management measures in several members’ EEZs and high seas. “This will be pursued through national and regional enforcement action processes.”

FFA Director-General Noan Pakop highlighted the role of intelligence analysis in the effective guiding and planning of the Operation. He said: “Our daily intelligence work at the Regional Fisheries Surveillance Center has been crucial to identifying and stopping illegal fishing activities.”