Source: The Pew Charitable Trusts
Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing hinders sustainability of the ocean’s valuable fish, costing billions of dollars in economic losses each year—to governments, coastal communities and law-abiding fishers—and taking an extreme toll on the marine environment. Although advancements in satellite tracking of ships and legal requirements for vessel identification have helped reduce IUU fishing, bad actors continue to exploit loopholes in the system, particularly around vessel ownership and who is ultimately responsible for a fishing boat’s activities.