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BLOOM publishes two major investigations into the predatory use of marine resources and public funds
Dutch ‘Big Five’ Fishing Giants Under Fire in New Investigative Reports by BLOOM
(FRANCE, 5/21/2025)
Inside the Hidden Network of Dutch Fishing Giants and Their Grip on Europe’s Seas and Subsidies
Paris — The NGO BLOOM has published two explosive investigative reports uncovering the immense influence and controversial practices of five powerful Dutch fishing conglomerates, collectively dubbed the “Big Five.” The reports claim the groups are central to the industrial exploitation of global marine resources and are recipients of significant public subsidies despite questionable environmental and legal practices.
The Big Five — Parlevliet & Van der Plas (P&P), Cornelis Vrolijk, Van der Zwan, Alda Seafood, and the De Boer family — are accused of forming a vast, interconnected corporate empire operating under the illusion of competition. According to BLOOM and Dutch investigative journalism consortium Spit, the five groups control over 400 subsidiaries and own a fleet of 230 industrial vessels, nearly all engaged in ecologically destructive fishing methods such as pelagic trawling, bottom trawling, and demersal seining.
The first report, titled “The Big Five: The grip of five Dutch corporate giants on the global ocean”, alleges that this oligopoly has seized a disproportionate share of European fishing quotas, marginalizing small-scale fishers and undermining democratic fisheries management. The investigation also highlights their expanding influence in France, where they control a significant share of national quotas through strategic acquisitions in coastal regions like Brittany and Boulogne-sur-Mer.
In a concerning trend, BLOOM reports that some of these companies are now shifting investments toward real estate, interpreting this as a pivot away from sustainable fisheries management and toward further extractive profit models.
The second report, “Big Five, Big Money: When Brexit subsidies fuel electric trawlers and Dutch fishing giants”, focuses on the post-Brexit distribution of EU subsidies. It claims that €61.5 million in public funds — nearly half of a €135 million Brexit relief package — was used to dismantle Dutch vessels previously engaged in illegal electric fishing practices, banned by the EU in 2021. BLOOM asserts that these vessels operated under unlawful licenses, and that the dismantling was effectively subsidized by EU taxpayers.
Moreover, the report raises red flags over €22.6 million in “temporary cessation” funds granted to six large factory ships belonging to the Big Five. BLOOM alleges these vessels continued operations despite receiving subsidies meant to reduce or suspend fishing activity, potentially constituting misuse of public funds.
“These investigations expose a system that enables ocean plundering, subsidized by European taxpayers and protected by political complicity,” said BLOOM in a public statement. “Far from being inevitable, marine destruction is organized, legalized, and profitable — for a few.”
BLOOM has previously published reports related to the 'Big Five
Both reports underscore what BLOOM describes as the structural imbalance in European fisheries policy, where industrial giants dominate at the expense of artisanal fishers, marine biodiversity, and public trust. The NGO is calling for urgent regulatory reforms, increased transparency, and the redirection of public funds toward sustainable, small-scale fisheries.
The release of these investigations is expected to intensify the debate on the future of European fisheries policy, particularly regarding the distribution of quotas and the allocation of subsidies.
Links to the full investigations:
editorial@seafood.media
www.seafood.media
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