13 Facts About Illegal fishing

Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing is an issue around the world.

Illegal fishing takes place when vessels or harvesters operate in violation of the laws of a fishery.

Unreported Illegal fishing is Illegal fishing that has been unreported or misreported to the relevant national authority or RFMO, in contravention of applicable laws and regulations.

Drivers behind illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing are similar to those behind many other types of international environmental crime: pirate fishers have a strong economic incentive – many species of fish, particularly those that have been over-exploited and are thus in short supply, are of high financial value.

One economic impact of illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing on developing countries is the direct loss of the value of the catches that could be taken by local fishermen if the IUU fishing were not taking place.

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IUU Illegal fishing can have a significant impact on the sustainability of both the targeted species and the ecosystem.

Illegal and unreported fishing essentially arise from a failure to adequately enforce existing national and international laws.

In March 2013 the issue of flag state liability for IUU Illegal fishing was brought before the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in a request for an advisory opinion submitted by the Sub-Regional Fisheries Commission of West Africa.

In partnership with developing countries, the necessary means would be provided to enable them to effectively control Illegal fishing activities undertaken in waters under their jurisdiction.

European Commission sanctions against states operating open ship registries and flags of convenience for illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing have been effective in pressuring states to reform or limit their open ship registries to fishing vessels, or at least in severely curtailing registrations under that jurisdiction.

The aim of this voluntary instrument is to prevent, deter and eliminate IUU Illegal fishing by providing all states with comprehensive, effective and transparent measures by which to act, including through appropriate regional fisheries management organisations established in accordance with international law.

The UN Committee On Fisheries produced a report concerning the status of anti IUU Illegal fishing strategies implemented by UN member states during the 34th COFI conference.

The 34th UN Committee on Fisheries report on Illegal, unreported and unregistered fishing concluded that further study must be conducted on the impact of IUU fishing.