Sharks, tuna and sea turtles are just some of the victims of illegal fishing practices.
Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing is a key driver of global overfishing. It threatens both marine ecosystems as well as food and regional security – not to mention it has a major impact on the global economy. In fact, recent estimates show that the world is losing up to $23 billion in annual revenue due to IUU fishing, with a staggering 86% of species currently at risk.
With the US as one of the world's largest markets for seafood, the realities of IUU fishing become even more severe. Americans consume about 5 billion pounds of seafood a year. Currently, however, it's not possible to determine if the fish we eat are legally caught.
Take action today: Help us ensure the fish you buy is caught responsibly from our world's oceans.
Dear National Ocean Council,
Thank you for your continued efforts to eliminate black market and fraudulent seafood from entering the United States market.
The proposed regulations outline strong reporting requirements for seafood imports, a traceability system to capture such information electronically, and risk-based screening to detect illegal products at the border.
While the proposed program represents a significant first step in the fight against IUU, additional clarification is needed for certain elements of the regulations. Most importantly, the final rule must outline the process to expand the Traceability Program to all species.
I would like to see a timeline to expand the Program requirements to all seafood, not just those listed as "at risk" to IUU and seafood fraud. An estimated 20-32 percent of wild-caught seafood imported to the U.S. originates from illegal fishing. Species substitution and illegal fishing activity will remain if only a limited set of species are considered "at-risk" enough to be traced, leaving multiple avenues for bad actors to circumvent the regulations.
The time for strong action and leadership is now. Please continue the great work to protect honest fishermen, coastal communities, and marine ecosystems through effective regulation to prevent IUU and seafood fraud. Let's stop black market and mislabeled fish from entering the US market once and for all.
[Your comment will go here]
Sincerely,
[Your name]
