Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing is what the acronym IUU stands for. IUU fishing is widely acknowledged as a serious global threat in terms of the environment, the economy, and society. Fishing regulations at the national and international levels are broken by illegal, unreported, and uncontrolled fishing activities. The marine ecosystems are seriously threatened, the seafood market is disrupted, and responsible fishermen are unfairly put at an unfair disadvantage. People who catch, prepare, and consume seafood around the world pay a hefty price due to illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
What is the impact of IUU Fishing?
1. Environmental Impact:
Globally, IUU fishing poses a threat to sustainable fisheries and ocean ecosystems. It endangers the natural resources essential to ensuring the world’s food security, and disadvantages law-abiding fishermen and seafood producers both here and abroad. Increased pressure on fish species that are endangered can also result from IUU fishing. By increasing the quantity of fish captured, IUU fishing has a direct impact on the population of fish species.
Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing depletes fish stock, destroyed management and conservation efforts. Achieving the objectives of long-term sustainability and responsibility is hampered by IUU fishing, which undercuts national and regional efforts to conserve and manage fish stocks.
2. Economic Impact:
IUU fishing jeopardizes the economic stability. Additionally, the livelihoods of the most vulnerable populations around the world are also in danger. It severely hinders and discriminates against those fishermen who behave honorably, responsibly, and in accordance with the restrictions outlined in their fishing licenses.
The fish which are unauthorized and illegal, entry into the market may reduce the total quality and cost of the items on offer. That placing a financial strain on harvesters who abide by the laws and regulations.
What are the IUU fishing activities?
1. Illegal fishing activities:
Whether national or foreign, the operations are carried out without authorization from the state in dispute or in violation of its laws and regulations in waters under its control.
- Transshipping illegally (for instance, by transferring fish to cargo ships).
2. Unreported fishing activities:
Those fishing operations that violate national rules and regulations and that have not been reported to the appropriate national authority, or have been reported incorrectly.
- Fishing for specific species without a permit or quota.
- Omitting to disclose catches or reporting them incorrectly.
- Keeping fish that are too little or those are otherwise governed by laws.
- Fishing with forbidden equipment and in restricted locations or during restricted seasons.
3. Unregulated fishing activities:
Fishing in regions or for fish stocks where there are no relevant conservation or management measures, and where such fishing activities are carried out in a way that conflicts with State obligations under international law for the conservation of live marine resources.
What are the approaches to combat IUU fishing?
A significant strategy for attaining sustainable management of the world’s fisheries is to combat IUU fishing. Tackling IUU fishing is currently a high priority for international ocean governance. This strategy is strengthened by a wide range of additional actions.
1. Marine Stewardship Council:
An international non-profit organization called the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) manages a certification and ecolabelling (Blue MSC ecolabel) program for sustainable, traceable seafood.
A fishery must adhere to three principles in order to be certified as sustainable:
- Ensuring robust fisheries
- Least amount of damage to the marine ecosystem
- Effective management and obligation of local, state, and federal regulations
2. Scheme for Responsible Fishing
The sole international standard that examines adherence to compliance aboard fishing vessels, including moral and welfare standards, is the Responsible Fishing Scheme. Originally introduced in 2006 by Seafish, a new program was later introduced in January 2016 in compliance with the standards of the widely accepted worldwide standard ISO17065. Its services are designed to help the industry’s environmental sustainability, effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness while also promoting seafood that is responsibly obtained.
3. Law Enforcement:
IUU fishing are fundamentally the result of inadequate national and international law enforcement. However, there are several causes for enforcement failure, chief among them being weak national government. A nation has complete control over its ports. In general, a nation should:
- Forbid foreign vessels from landing or transshipping fish in its ports
- Demand information on the identities of vessels
- Seek port access
- Examine vessels that are voluntarily in its ports.
- Ask for fair advance notice of their entry into port
4. Responsibility of Flag State:
The ships (including fishing vessels) that carry a state’s flag are subject to that state’s legal obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The principal duty of flag countries is to regulate the fishing operations of their ships, including both fishing vessels and fishing support vessels (such as transport vessels that transport the catch of fishing vessels and supply vessels that deliver fuel and supplies to fishing vessels).
5. Approaches of international Organizations:
The European Union created its own strategy to carry out the pledges made at the international level, and the European Commission’s action plan for combating IUU fishing was released in May 2002. It will be demanded that member state nationals operating under a flag of convenience shoulder more accountability. Additionally, market restrictions would be put in place for fisheries products that were caught in breach of international accords. To increase awareness, information campaigns aimed at the fishing industry, customers, and the general public will also be launched. Additionally, IUU vessels would be recognized, watched over, and their catches would be measured. The required tools would be supplied in collaboration with developing nations to enable them to properly regulate fishing activities carried out in their territorial waters.
Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs) are associations of countries that concentrate on specific fish species (such as the Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna) or have a broader mandate related to living marine resources generally within a region, such as the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR).
IUU fishing threatens marine biodiversity, the food security of communities that depend on fisheries resources for protein, and the livelihoods of those working in the industry if vulnerable stocks that are subject to strict management controls or moratoria are targeted.
Farhana Islam
Agriculturist, Researcher
