(AP) JUNEAU, Alaska — The recent seizure of a stateless ship in international waters 2,600 miles off Alaska's coast has spotlighted the challenge that the U.S. and other nations face in trying to crackdown on illegal fishing, an activity that accounts for up to $23.5 billion a year in global economic losses.
Finding rogue vessels in the vast, open ocean can be like finding a needle in a haystack. But U.S. officials and some environmentalists say progress is being made, including multinational patrol and enforcement agreements and the potential for sanctions against countries that engage in illegal, unreported and unregulated (or IUU) fishing.
More countries are joining the efforts and there is greater awareness of the illegal fishing issue in the U.S. and Europe, where patrons ask restaurants and shops for the source of their product. There are efforts to better track high-value products like bluefin tuna to ensure they were obtained legally, and to keep illegal product out, said Rebecca Lent, director of the Office of International Affairs for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries.
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