A new report says European fishing companies have reflagged vessels to take advantage of quota systems for tropical tuna in the Indian Ocean. The report alleges that a large share of the region’s tropical tuna catch—estimated at about one third—comes from fishing operations tied to European firms using reflagging strategies. Reflagging involves changing a ship’s registry, which can affect which national quota rules or eligibility requirements apply to a vessel. The report frames the issue as a way for companies to access quota allocations that may otherwise be harder to reach, depending on the vessel’s flag state and the governance structures governing tuna harvesting in the Indian Ocean. While the sources agree on the general claim that European interests are benefiting from quota access through reflagging, they do not specify, in the provided excerpts, the names of specific companies, the number of vessels involved, or the precise legal or regulatory mechanisms used. The report therefore focuses on the scale of the alleged practice and its impact on the distribution of tuna harvesting linked to European commercial activity in the Indian Ocean.