Saving Seafood

More than 100 scientists call on Congress to end illegal fishing, human rights abuses in seafood supply chain

December 13, 2021 — More than 100 scientists on Monday called for federal action on illegal fishing, fraud and human rights abuses in the seafood industry.

In a letter to Congress, scientists called on representatives to end harmful practices along the seafood supply chain, including illegal, unreported and unregulated — or IUU — fishing and abuses like forced labor and human trafficking.

Human rights abuses and IUU fishing typically go hand in hand, scientists write, because unsustainable fishing practices push vessels further out to sea for longer periods of time, meaning some fishing companies rely on forced or underpaid labor to turn a profit.

“The interconnected issues of IUU fishing and human rights violations demand the United States take action to ensure that only safe, legally caught, responsibly sourced, and honestly labeled seafood is imported into our domestic market. The human rights abuses prevalent in the seafood sector make it clear that the United States needs to build in labor protections for those working at every stage in the seafood supply chain,” the letter’s authors write.

Read the full story at The Hill

 

United States Wins New Conservation Measures for Pacific Tuna and Backs Inspections to Curb Illegal Fishing

December 7, 2021 — Tropical tuna in the eastern Pacific Ocean gained renewed protections and science-based catch levels under resolutions advocated by the United States. They were adopted by the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission at its virtual meeting in October. The IATTC also established a framework for foreign fishing vessels to face spot inspections when they enter the port of another member nation.

The IATTC’s actions will help conserve and sustainably manage tuna and other highly migratory species that cross international boundaries. They also improve oversight of international fisheries to reduce illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, a U.S. priority. The move furthers the effort to close the world’s ports to illegal fishing and give consumers additional confidence that their seafood is safe and sustainable.

“This is a critical step forward for the conservation of species that support important commercial fisheries and play a prominent role in the marine ecosystem,” said Ryan Wulff, who leads the U.S. delegation to the IATTC, and serves as Assistant Regional Administrator for Sustainable Fisheries for NOAA Fisheries’ West Coast Region. “We worked through challenging negotiations—all in a virtual setting. In the end, we achieved consensus on a number of important conservation and management measures for the eastern Pacific Ocean.”

Read the full story at NOAA Fisheries

 

Seafood2030: How technology, government efforts, and market action are aligning to address IUU fishing

December 6, 2021 — The direct economic impacts of illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing on the seafood industry are becoming better understood, as is the reputational risk that these practices cause for the entire seafood industry.

These impacts can be most harmful for developing nations struggling to manage their fisheries sustainably. According to the Stanford Center for Oceans, nearly one billion people worldwide rely on fish as their main source of protein.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

 

Blitz at sea: Boats burnt, crews escape sanction as illegal fishing off WA skyrockets

November 12, 2021 — The joint ‘Marine Border Command’ operation was announced after the ABF was alerted last month that Indonesian fishing crews were pillaging marine life at the pristine, previously untouched Rowley Shoals, a protected coral reef 260 kilometres west of Broome.

Their presence and aggressive tactics left local charter tour companies in WA’s North West fearful for their safety and livid at the lack of authoritative response.

Exclusive drone footage obtained by WAtoday showed an influx of foreign ships in the sanctioned Rowley Shoals marine park zone, their crew members walking on the coral reef and fishing illegally.

Local boat skippers said it was the first time they had seen Indonesian crews at Rowley Shoals, as new data above showed 103 vessels were intercepted in the first three months of 2020-21 alone.

One tourist operator reported illegal finning in the area, with sharks spotted still alive, lying on the water’s surface, while another charter boat skipper saw Indonesian-marked plastic rubbish for the first time within the sanctioned marine park.

Read the full story at News Nation USA

 

Planet Tracker analyst calls for increased observer coverage on distant-water fleet

August 25, 2021 — If one percent of global fisheries subsidies were redirected to onboard monitoring, the proportion of wild-catch fishing monitored by observers could create a meaningful impact in reducing illegal fishing and bycatch, according to Planet Tracker Financial Analyst Francois Mosnier.

Mosnier, a financial analyst covering seafood companies at the financial think tank, said he believes an additional USD 222 million (EUR 190.2 million) is needed to expand observer coverage to 20 percent across all regional fishery management organizations, which cover the cost of observers through a levy on fisheries. Currently, observers cover just 2 percent of all catches recorded by RFMOs.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Seafood fraudster targeted US Foods, other distributors and restaurants

August 18, 2021 — A man in the U.S. state of Rhode Island has been accused of bilking nearly USD 1 million (EUR 855,000) from major broadliners in the U.S. by fraudulently purchasing seafood from them.

Paul Diogenes, also known as Paul Dejullio, created a fictitious catering company – LePage Catering – in order to obtain credit from US Foods, Performance Food Group, and other distributors to purchase more than USD 831,700 (EUR 711,000) in product. Diogenes bought hundreds of thousands of dollars of lobster, sea bass, shrimp, scallops, filet, ribeye steak, and wild boar, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

New US report shows dozens of countries failing to police illegal and unregulated fishing

August 16, 2021 — NOAA has released its annual report to US Congress to combat illegal, unregulated, and unreported (IUU) fishing and human rights abuses in the seafood supply chain.

The report identifies 31 nations and entities for IUU fishing activities and bycatch of protected marine life on the high seas, where nations lack conservation measures comparable to those of the United States.

The report contains several key findings, according to NOAA, including evidence that China, Costa Rica, Guyana, Mexico, the Russian Federation, Senegal and Taiwan all operated vessels engaged in IUU fishing activities between 2018-2020.

Several other countries and blocs, including the European Union, Japan and the Republic of Korea were all identified as lacking a regulatory program comparable in effectiveness to the United States to reduce the bycatch of protected marine life in their fishing operations.

Read the full story at IntraFish

National Fisheries Institute Statement on NOAA’s IUU Report to Congress

August 13, 2021 — The following was released by the National Fisheries Institute:

NOAA’s 2021 Biennial Report to Congress on Improving International Fisheries Management, released today, is an example of a tool used to effectively fight Illegal Unregulated and Unreported (IUU) fishing.

The report identifies 31 nations and or entities that are either engaged in pirate fishing or not doing enough to stop destructive fishing practices.

Enforcement of rules that deny dubious actors entry to U.S. ports and institute import restrictions are key to successfully rooting out IUU. At the same time, the report lauds countries like Ecuador and Korea for redoubling their efforts to stop IUU fishing in their waters.

NOAA Fisheries’ commitment to cracking down on IUU is on display in this report and should be applauded.

NOAA releases report identifying seven countries engaged in IUU

August 12, 2021 — NOAA has cited seven countries as engaged in IUU fishing, including Mexico, and an additional 29 countries or entities as lacking effective regulatory programs to combat bycatch, including the European Union.

The latest report, the “2021 Biennial Report to Congress on Improving International Fisheries Management,” determined that China, Costa Rica, Guyana, Mexico, the Russian Federation, Senegal, and Taiwan all had vessels engaged in IUU fishing activities during 2018-2020. Mexico’s presence on the list makes it the second report in a row where the country has been listed among those engaged in IUU fishing.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

NOAA takes strong stand against IUU fishing and harmful fishing practices

August 12, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA:

Today, NOAA released the 2021 Biennial Report to Congress on Improving International Fisheries Management, identifying 31 nations and entities for illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities and bycatch of protected marine life on the high seas, where nations lack conservation measures comparable to those of the United States. In it, NOAA also negatively certifies Mexico for continued IUU fishing activities, meaning Mexican fishing vessels will be denied entry into U.S. ports and Mexico could face import restrictions on fish and fish products.

IUU fishing is a serious global problem that threatens ocean ecosystems and sustainable fisheries that are critical to global food and economic security – putting law-abiding fishermen and seafood producers in the United States and abroad at a disadvantage.

Bycatch (or unwanted catch and discards) can hurt conservation of protected marine life. Nations that do not have regulatory programs to effectively reduce or mitigate bycatch threaten the sustainability of shared ecosystems and living marine resources. Today’s report, and the underlying identification and consultation process, is one of several tools that NOAA deploys to deter and prevent IUU fishing and support effective international marine conservation.

“As one of the largest importers of seafood in the world, the United States has a global responsibility and an economic duty to ensure that the fish and fish products we import are caught sustainably and legally,” said Janet Coit, assistant administrator for NOAA Fisheries, and acting assistant secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and deputy NOAA administrator. “IUU fishing undermines U.S. fishermen who operate under the strongest fishery management practices and conservation laws, and NOAA will use every tool to make sure all nations follow the same rules.”

The report contains several key findings:

  • China, Costa Rica, Guyana, Mexico, the Russian Federation, Senegal, and Taiwan are identified for having vessels engaged in IUU fishing activities during 2018-2020.
  • Algeria, Barbados, China, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, European Union, France, Greece, Grenada, Guyana, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malta, Mauritania, Mexico, Morocco, Namibia, Portugal, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, South Africa, Spain, Taiwan, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, and Turkey are identified for lacking a regulatory program comparable in effectiveness to the United States to reduce the bycatch of protected marine life in their fishing operations.
  • Some nations or entities were identified for both IUU fishing and bycatch activities.

The 2021 Report also announced certification determinations for nations identified for IUU fishing activities in the 2019 Biennial Report to Congress on Improving International Fisheries Management, following a two-year consultation period where NOAA works with each nation to encourage corrective action. Mexico received a negative certification for IUU fishing activities identified in 2019, which were failing to curb the flow of small vessels fishing illegally in the U.S. waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Failure to remedy these incursions into U.S. waters led to Mexico’s negative certification.

In contrast, Ecuador and the Republic of Korea received positive certification determinations for taking actions to remedy the IUU fishing activities for which they were identified in 2019.

“We are encouraged by the positive steps certain nations took to address the identified IUU fishing practices,” said Alexa Cole, acting deputy assistant secretary for international fisheries, and director of NOAA Fisheries Office of International Affairs and Seafood Inspection. “NOAA is committed to working with each of the 31 nations and entities identified in this year’s report to strengthen their fisheries management and enforcement practices.”

The report illustrates key ways NOAA improves international fisheries management by: developing law enforcement capacity and best practices to combat IUU fishing, supporting the effective management of protected species and shark catch on the high seas, and ensuring a fair market for the U.S. fishing industry.

Read the 2021 Biennial Report to Congress on Improving International Fisheries Management.