Last week, the Maldivian government announced it will distribute 118,000 tuna cases for Ramadan in a bid to support domestic tuna processors and ensure food supply to households during the festive season. A spokesperson for the state-run Maldives Industrial Fisheries Company (MIFCO) stated that production of the cans is on track, and the full volume would be produced by this week. According to him, logistical measures have been taken to get the cases with 48 cans to families across the atoll. Officials also believe that the initiative can ensure a social safety net and create a market outlet that keeps domestic processing lines turning during a season of heavy retail demand, reported Prism News.

Last year, during Ramadan, President Mohamed Muizzu introduced an initiative to give every household a box of canned tuna. More than 108,801 cases were distributed in 2025. The Finance Ministry confirmed later that year that it had spent MVR 79 million (USD 5.11 million) on the initiative. The one-month Ramadan begins on February 17 and will conclude on March 19.

The Italian Coast Guard seized over 26 tons of seafood, including yellowfin, squid, and grey mullet, from a plant in Sassari in Northern Sardinia. According to officials, over seven tons of yellowfin, confiscated in the operation, lacked the necessary traceability and labeling, and were stored in violation of European consumer information regulations, reported Italian news site L’Unione Sarda. The paperwork that came with the fish shipments listed some companies in the documents were not officially registered businesses on the island. Checks were also conducted in nearby Nuoro, where authorities found more seafood stored in violation of EU rules.

The irregularities led to the imposition of two administrative fines of EUR 3,000, in total, in addition to the seizure of the entire quantity of goods. The EU General Food Law (EC 178/2002) requires food to be safe and fully traceable at all stages of its supply chain. It obliges food businesses to withdraw unsafe products from the EU market, and provide accurate information to protect consumers.

The European Commission has launched a “call for evidence” to shape the Ocean Act, to be implemented by next year. On January 12, the Commission invited citizens, experts, and stakeholders to submit their comments by February 9.

The Act is part of the European Ocean Pact, adopted in June last year at the UN Ocean Conference, which is a comprehensive strategy to protect tuna and other fish stocks in all oceans, promote a thriving blue economy, and support the well-being of people living in coastal areas. The EU said in a statement that “The Ocean Act is one of the main deliverables of this Pact. Its objective is to improve the coherence and effective implementation of maritime governance in the EU, serving as a single point of reference for all economic, climate, environmental, and social targets adopted at the Union level to protect and sustainably use ocean resources and services.” The results of the public consultation for the Ocean Act will be published in Spring 2026. The legislative proposal, which would support the priorities of the Ocean Pact and facilitate their implementation, is expected to be adopted at the end of 2026.