November 15, 2024 — The Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans has made 32 recommendations to the federal government in its report, Reducing the Harms Caused to Canadian Fish Stocks by Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing, tabled in the House of Commons on Oct. 3.
NOAA unveils new action plan to expand SIMP after scrapping earlier proposal
November 14, 2024 — NOAA Fisheries has unveiled an action plan for its Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP) that the agency said has a renewed focus on combating illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, enhancing seafood traceability, and expanding traceability requirements to all U.S. seafood imports.
NOAA first created SIMP in 2016 under the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama as a means of imposing stricter monitoring of seafood imports, requiring at-risk seafood species to be tracked to its source and properly labeled. NOAA announced a major proposal on 28 December 2022 that would have doubled the species the program targets – a push that ultimately failed after NOAA decided to withdraw the additional rules in November 2023.
North Pacific Patrols Again Document Widespread Illegal Fishing
November 4, 2024 — The waters of the North Pacific continue to be hotspots for illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, report the U.S. and Canadian Coast Guard at the conclusion of more than two months of patrols. They are reporting the harvesting of shark fins continues unabated, as are criminal activities largely masterminds by dark fleet vessels.
The annual multinational mission known as Operation North Pacific Guard included patrolling the waters both at sea, in the air, as well as through satellite observations. They report it has once again exposed the deeply rooted menace of IUU.
The mission, which is led by Canada and brings together partners including the U.S., Japan, and Korea, saw Canadian fishery officers and crew aboard the multipurpose coast guard ship Sir Wilfrid Laurier patrol over 20,000 kilometers of North Pacific waters. During the mission, they conducted inspections of 15 fishing vessels and found illegally harvested shark fins, evidence of fishing during a closed season, and unreported catch. They also documented instances of marine pollution.
US denies port privileges to foreign vessels accused of IUU fishing
September 21, 2024 — Foreign commercial fishing vessels accused of illegal, unreported, or unregulated (IUU) fishing by the U.S. government will be denied access to American ports beginning 10 October.
NOAA Fisheries has revoked port privileges to vessels from 17 nations under the High Seas Driftnet Fishing Moratorium Protection Act, a law that requires NOAA to identify nations whose fishing vessels are engaged in IUU operations or activities that result in bycatch of protected living marine resources or sharks. Once NOAA Fisheries identifies a nation as engaging in IUU fishing, it enters a two-year consultation to fix the problem. If the issue is not resolved in that period, NOAA Fisheries can issue a negative certification and a denial of port access.
US lawmakers, NGOs continue push against IUU in wake of Outlaw Ocean reporting
September 4, 2024 — A group of U.S. government representatives, including U.S. House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Arizona), and a pair of Canada-based NGOs are pushing the U.S. and Canadian governments to step up enforcement against illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and human rights violations identified in an Outlaw Ocean report.
Outlaw Ocean first published its report on seafood being processed with Uyghur labor in China making its way into U.S. supply chains in October 2023. That report named an array of Chinese companies that allegedly used Uyghur and forced labor when processing seafood.
US Senator Sullivan aims to attach FISH Act to US military spending bill
July 15, 2024 — U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) has introduced an amendment to incorporate the Fighting Foreign Illegal Seafood Harvest (FISH) Act into the annual funding bill for the U.S. Department of Defense.
The FISH Act would create a blacklist of vessels with a history of conducting illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities. Fishing vessels on the list would be banned from entering U.S. waters, and the legislation also would require the U.S. Coast Guard to increase at-sea inspections of vessels it suspects may be engaged in IUU fishing.
Global Fishing Watch, SkyTruth warn of vessels falsifying coordinates
June 21, 2024 — Nonprofit organizations Global Fishing Watch (GFW) and SkyTruth have reported that vessels on the world’s oceans may be using constantly improving technology to falsify and scramble their automatic identification system (AIS) coordinates, potentially carrying out illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing through the use of such technology.
One of the first instances that alerted the organizations to this fact was a Russian-flagged tanker vessel that was found to be broadcasting false AIS coordinates on at least two separate occasions.
Report: Illegal fishing and labor abuse rampant in China’s Indian Ocean fleet
June 8, 2024 — The Chinese distant-water fishing fleet is a formidable force. For one thing, it’s the largest in the world, with at least 2,500 vessels — but likely many more. These vessels, many of which are propped up by government subsidies, are present in all of the world’s major oceans and countless coastal areas. The fleet’s sheer size and geographical span means it takes a sizeable volume of marine fish out of the sea: an estimated 4 million metric tons yearly.
Experts say the Chinese distant-water fleet also participates in a disproportionate amount of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and exploitative practices such as shark finning and human rights violations. Previous reporting on these issues has usually focused on parts of the world such as the coastal waters of West Africa, or around the exclusive economic zones (EEZs) of Latin American countries like Ecuador and Argentina, where the Chinese distant-water fleet has drawn attention and stirred controversy. However, a recent report by the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF), a U.K.-based nonprofit organization, highlights the illegal and unsustainable activities of the Chinese distant-water fleet in the Southwest Indian Ocean, a global hotspot for marine biodiversity and home to commercially important tuna species like yellowfin (Thunnus albacares), skipjack (Katsuwonus pelamis) and bigeye (Thunnus obesus).
Published in April, the EJF report draws primarily from crew testimonials to paint a grim picture of the Chinese distant-water fleet behaving badly in the seas off the coast of East Africa. They describe illegal shark-finning operations, with crew cutting the fins off dozens of sharks every night before throwing the still-living bodies overboard; captains ordering crew to kill dolphins and false killer whales (Pseudorca crassidens) so they can collect their teeth and jaws; North Korean workers kept on vessels indefinitely, unable to go home even after completing multiyear contracts; and sick crew members forced to work until they collapse and die
The report authors say the Chinese distant-water fleet’s behaviors pose a “serious threat to the sustainability of global fisheries and the wellbeing of fishers, and the millions of people who rely on the ocean for their livelihoods” and also undermine “good governance and the rule of national laws and international regulation in fisheries.” The authors also shine a light on China’s substantial investment in the blue economy in the Southwest Indian Ocean region, including the building of ports and fisheries infrastructure, which they say may make “heavily indebted countries … feel obligated to allow Chinese business ventures to access [marine] resources,” to the detriment of the environment and local communities.
3 Takeaways From NOAA’s FY23 Report On SIMP
June 4, 2024 — Late last week NOAA Fisheries released an update regarding the Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP), sharing a review of the program’s effectiveness.
SIMP was first implemented in 2018 as a way to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. The program established reporting and record-keeping requirements for imports of 13 seafood species groups: abalone, Atlantic cod, blue crab (Atlantic), dolphinfish (Mahi Mahi), grouper, King crab (red), Pacific cod, red snapper, sea cucumber, sharks, shrimp, swordfish and tuna (albacore, bigeye, skipjack, yellowfin, bluefin).
The implementation of the program was hotly contested, and when there was a proposed rule to expand SIMP, members of the seafood industry banned together to oppose the action. In November 2023 NOAA ended up withdrawing its proposal to expand SIMP following the public comment period. The agency also announced that it would review the program to “enhance and strengthen its overall impact and effectiveness.”
NOAA Fisheries Releases Reports to Congress on Efforts to Combat IUU Fishing
June 2, 2024 — NOAA Fisheries released a report to Congress summarizing efforts to prevent and deter the import of seafood harvested through illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing. Another report summarized our efforts to investigate, enforce, and prosecute IUU fishing.
We use many tools to combat IUU fishing and prevent the movement of IUU fish and fish products through the seafood supply chain. They include regulatory programs, diplomatic efforts, capacity building, and enforcement technical assistance. Efforts range from preventing IUU fishing at its source to detecting and intercepting IUU fish and fish products at the border.
Seafood Import Monitoring Program
The Seafood Import Monitoring Program is both a screening mechanism and a deterrent against the entry of IUU fish and fish products and misrepresented seafood into the U.S. market. The report provides an overview of seafood imports subject to SIMP and associated audit findings and enforcement action associated with SIMP imports. The report also reviews NOAA’s advancement in automated screening and analysis of SIMP imports and the ongoing comprehensive program review.
NOAA Fisheries is committed to the ongoing development of SIMP as part of our comprehensive approach to combating IUU fishing and seafood fraud. To achieve this, we are working to further enhance and strengthen the program’s overall impact and effectiveness through a thorough and detailed program review.
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