Transnational Crime and the Developing World

IX. Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing
A. Overview
Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing is a serious issue that impacts not only conservation
but development and security as well. Fishing is a major industry around the world, and even a small
level of IUU fishing can generate billions of dollars in illicit profits. With an estimated 90 percent of the
world’s fisheries classified as fully exploited or overexploited, legal and sustainable fishing operations are
critical to maintain the integrity of global fishery resources. 267
IUU fishing covers a variety of fishing activities, such as fishing in contravention to a State’s laws, using
illegal gear, and misreporting catch volumes. Table T provides a summary of the Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO) of the United Nations’ definition of IUU fishing. 268
Table T. What is IUU Fishing?
Component
Description
Illegal
Unreported
“Fishing activities that are i) conducted by national or foreign vessels in waters under
the jurisdiction of a State, without the permission of that State, or in contravention of its
laws and regulations; ii) conducted by vessels flying the flag of States that are parties to
a relevant regional fisheries management organization but operate in contravention of
the conservation and management measures adopted by that organization and by which
the States are bound, or relevant provisions of the applicable international law; or iii)
in violation of national laws or international obligations, including those undertaken by
cooperating States to a relevant regional fisheries management organization.”
“Fishing activities i) which have not been reported, or have been misreported, to the
relevant national authority, in contravention of national laws and regulations; or ii)
undertaken in the area of competence of a relevant regional fisheries management
organization which have not been reported or have been misreported, in contravention of
the reporting procedures of that organization.”
Unregulated
“Fishing activities i) in the area of application of a relevant regional fisheries management
organization that are conducted by vessels without nationality, or by those flying the
flag of a State not party to that organization, or by a fishing entity, in a manner that is
not consistent with or contravenes the conservation and management measures of that
organization; or ii) in areas or for fish stocks in relation to which there are no applicable
conservation or management measures and where such fishing activities are conducted
in a manner inconsistent with State responsibilities for the conservation of living marine
resources under international law.”
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization
267
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nation, The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2016: Contributing to Food Security and
Nutrition for All (Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2016), 38, http://www.fao.org/3/a-i5555e.pdf. According to the FAO,
“31.4 percent of assessed fish stocks were estimated as fished at a biologically unsustainable level and therefore overfished. Of all the stocks assessed
in 2013, 58.1 percent were fully fished and 10.5 percent underfished.”
268
“International Plan of Action to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing,” Food and Agriculture Organization of the
United Nations, 2001, http://www.fao.org/docrep/003/y1224e/y1224e00.HTM.
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