NATURAL RESOURCES »» FISHERIES »» ILLEGAL FISHING »» Jan 18, 2021

Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing accounts for at least 25% of all global catches each year. IUU fishing includes catching undersized fish, fishing in closed waters or taking more fish than allowed. Coastal nations have exclusive economic zones in which offshore fishing is prohibited. International agreements also prohibit the fishing of protected species on the high seas. However, advocates say there is little enforcement or punishment for illegal fishing operations. Much of the damage to fisheries is caused by fleets of large international commercial fishing trawlers. Advocates say most of these large fishing operations abide by the law, but many others fish without licenses, use illegal fishing gear, conceal their identities and fail to report catches. These distant-water fishing fleets use modern technology to pursue and catch fish in virtually every part of every ocean. These ships offload their catch onto large processing vessels which process, freeze and transport huge quantities of fish, allowing trawlers to continue fishing nearly non-stop. Some call commercial fishing operations