Report | June 5, 2024

Strengthtening collective efforts to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and labor rights abuse

IUU fishing constitutes one of the most serious threats to the sustainability of fisheries and to marine biodiversity and ecosystems. It directly contributes to overfishing, undermines coastal communities and food security, and creates unfair competition for fishers operating legally, stealing income of billions of dollars from low income countries around the world. It can also be associated with human, drugs, and weapons trafficking as well as labor and human rights abuses in the seafood sector. The devastating environmental and human consequences of IUU fishing disproportionately affect coastal communities in low income countries who rely on fisheries for their livelihood or for protein, and vulnerable workers and migrant populations working in the fisheries sector.

Efforts to tackle IUU fishing and hold perpetrators accountable are impeded by the opaque nature of the fishing industry and its associated supply chains. In particular, this lack of transparency in the fishing sector hinders efforts to track financial profits and hold those who ultimately control and benefit the most from IUU fishing operations, the beneficial owners, accountable for their actions.