Saving Seafood

Subsidies, fragmented enforcement hampering progress on fighting illegal fishing, research finds

August 17, 2026 — A study conducted by researchers at the University of British Columbia has found that industrial-scale illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing accounts for as much as 15 percent of global marine wild capture and is estimated to be worth between USD 6.2 billion and USD 12.2 billion (EUR 5.4 billion and EUR 10.5 billion).

The study, titled “Casting light on the workings of illegal fishing markets,” found that roughly two-thirds of illicit seafood trade by value originates in West Africa, East Asia, and Southeast Asia, with the bulk of the illegal catch consumed in North America, Europe, and East Asia.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

US embassy launched IUU reporting hub in the Philippines

August 14, 2026 — The U.S. Embassy in the Philippines has launched a new initiative to gather community reports of illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing around the Southeast Asian nation and share them with authorities.

“Illegal, unreported, and unregulated [IUU] fishing is both an economic and a national security challenge. It depletes fish stocks, disrupts supply chains, distorts markets, threatens food security, and places responsible fishers and legitimate businesses at a disadvantage,” U.S. Embassy Officer Taylor Fincher said in a release. “Addressing illegal fishing and related maritime concerns is an important area of cooperation between the United States and the Philippines.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

US State Department looking for NGO partner to shine light on forced labor and IUU fishing

August 13, 2026 — The U.S. Department of State is seeking an NGO partner that can identify evidence of forced labor and illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing in the seafood supply chain.

“By increasing transparency and accountability in global seafood supply chains, the program will help combat unfair competition, support responsible business practices, protect marine resources, and reinforce a level playing field for the U.S. seafood sector,” the State Department said in its announcement.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Shark finning, endangered species found in high seas boardings

August 11, 2026 — Enforcement officers have finished their deployment with Operation North Pacific Guard, the annual multinational patrol that polices illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing in international waters of the North Pacific.

Officers from NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement patrolled more than 8,000 nautical miles aboard the Canadian Coast Guard ship Sir Wilfrid Laurier, sailing with fishery officers from Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), the Canadian Coast Guard, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Fisheries Agency of Japan. Working under authorities granted by international law, the crew conducted dozens of boardings and inspections of foreign fishing vessels and documented violations of conservation and management measures including shark finning, possession of endangered species and failure to accurately report catch, according to NOAA.

Suspected violations were referred confidentially to the flag states of the vessels involved and to the relevant regional fisheries management organizations for investigation. Under RFMO procedures, flag states handle the investigations and any penalties; sanctions can be reviewed by the RFMOs and, for the most serious cases, can include a complete ban on fishing.

“The dedication of our officers ensures that sustainable fishing practices are upheld on a global scale,” said Benjamin Cheeseman, assistant director of NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement, Alaska Division. “Their work on the high seas directly protects the integrity of the oceans and the livelihoods of honest fishermen back home.”

NOAA did not release a violation count. DFO, which led the shipboard patrol, said in its own Aug. 6 announcement that the integrated crew aboard the Sir Wilfrid Laurier monitored several hundred fishing vessels, conducted 30 high-seas inspections and interacted with more than 500 crew members over roughly two months, turning up 52 potential violations. Those included shark finning and the use of prohibited gear to take sharks, misreporting of catch, bycatch and discards — including prohibited species — and multiple failures to use seabird protection measures while setting gear.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

Canadian-Led Operation Reveals Scope of Illegal Fishing in North Pacific

August 7, 2026 — A Canadian-led operation aimed at cracking down on illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing has again exposed how the vast North Pacific continues to be a hotspot for criminal activity that poses a major threat to fish populations, marine environments and global seafood supply chains.

Following the completion of the annual multinational mission known as Operation North Pacific Guard (Op. NPG), which involved more than two months of patrolling North Pacific waters at sea, in the air and by satellite, the reality is that IUU fishing remains a deeply rooted menace.

The mission, which is led by Canada and brings together a range of partners including the U.S., Japan and Korea, saw Canadian fishery officers and crew aboard the multipurpose coast guard ship Sir Wilfrid Laurier patrol more than 23,000 kilometers of North Pacific waters.

Read the full article at The Maritime Executive

Trump administration took funding dedicated to fighting IUU fishing and used it for the World Cup

July 31, 2026 — The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump took funding set aside for combatting illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and spent it on other priorities, including the 2026 FIFA World Cup, according to a report from Washington D.C.-focused news outlet Punchbowl News.

The outlet reported that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) diverted most of the USD 170 million (EUR 147 million) set aside in the One Big Beautiful Bill for the U.S. Coast Guard to spend on maritime domain awareness, which would support the government’s anti-IUU fishing enforcement efforts.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

US senators call for sanctions on vessels that support China’s distant water fishing fleet

July 28, 2026 — A handful of U.S. senators have asked the Department of the Treasury to issue sanctions on vessels that support China’s distant water fishing fleet, continuing a push from U.S. lawmakers to limit China’s commercial fishing and seafood sectors.

“The Chinese Communist Party is using its global distant-water fleet to conduct ecocide across at least three continents in both hemispheres. They kill endangered species by the hundreds and sharks, whales, and dolphins by the thousands, and have destroyed tens of thousands of acres of coral reefs,” U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said in a statement. “Their fleet uses coerced laborers, who are subjected to physical abuse, malnutrition, overwork, and withheld pay. They could not conduct these activities without supply ships, including reefers, tankers, and floating bases. The U.S. should bolster our Maritime Domain Awareness capabilities to identify these vessels, and then we should use every available option to sanction and disrupt them.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

US commission on China calls for ban on Chinese seafood

July 17, 2026 — The Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) is calling on the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump to ban seafood caught or processed by China, citing concerns over forced labor.

CECC Chair Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and Co-Chair Representative Christopher Smith (R-New Jersey), along with commissioners Representative Dale Strong (R-Alabama) and Representative Tom Suozzi (D-New York)  wrote a letter to Trump calling for an executive order to ban seafood either caught by Chinese-linked vessels or processed in China.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

NOAA again cites Mexico for illegal fishing as Southern Shrimp Alliance calls for seafood import ban

July 13, 2026 — NOAA Fisheries has once again issued a negative certification to Mexico over illegal fishing in U.S. Gulf waters, marking the third consecutive report to do so.

Last week, NOAA Fisheries issued its most recent “biennial” report to Congress on Improving International Fisheries Management. The agency explained that despite the recent release, the report “was prepared in 2025.”

Six countries were identified for illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing: Costa Rica, Grenada, Mexico, Morocco, the People’s Republic of China, and the Russian Federation.

Two countries were identified for the production of seafood-related goods through forced labor: Burma and the People’s Republic of China.

The agency also updated “certification” determinations, providing this explanation:

“NOAA Fisheries issues a positive certification if the nation or entity has provided evidence of actions that address the activities for which it was identified. If sufficient action has not been taken, NOAA Fisheries issues a negative certification which results in U.S. port restrictions for fishing vessels of that nation or entity, and could result in import restrictions on certain fish or fish products.”

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NOAA identifies six foreign governments engaging in IUU fishing, including Russia and China

July 7, 2026 — NOAA Fisheries has identified six nations engaged in illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing based on the activities of those foreign governments from 2022 through 2024.

Every two years, the agency sends a report to Congress identifying which countries are engaged in IUU fishing, which countries have adequate shark protections, and which countries have forced labor present in their seafood supply chains. NOAA Fisheries also issues certifications based on what actions countries identified in past reports have done to address the problems raised by the agency.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource