(LUXEMBOURG) - EU governments agreed Tuesday to step up the fight against illegal fishing with plans for hefty fines for the worst offenders amid a row over whether tuna fishermen declared all of their catches.

The measures, unanimously adopted by fisheries ministers at a meeting in Luxembourg, "set an example for other world countries," said Slovenian minister Iztok Jarc, whose country holds the EU's rotating presidency.

Under the package, a European blacklist would be set up not only for vessels deemed to flaunt quotas or regulations, but also for countries that turn a blind eye.

In the worst cases, violators see their boats confiscated and pay fines as high as eight times the value of seized cargo if they are repeat offenders.

Meanwhile, the European Commission wants to step up monitoring of the unloading of fish at port to ensure catch figures are not fudged.

The package, which is due to go into force in 2010, "adds to the tools that are necessary for fighting illegal fishing," said EU Fisheries Commissioner Joe Borg, who frequently laments undeclared fishing in Europe, especially for bluefin tuna.

The commission called an early halt to industrial bluefin tuna fishing at the peak of the season this month because it considered that quotas were filling up much faster than member states were declaring.

The move released a wave of protest especially in France and Italy.

Agriculture and Fisheries Council

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