By Kritika Malhotra
Fishing: the activity of catching fish, either for food or as a sport.
Illegal: In violation of the law

Unregulated fishing: generally refers to fishing by vessels without nationality, or vessels flying the flag of a country not party to the
RFMO governing that fishing area or species on the high seas.
Unreported fishing: is fishing that has been unreported or misreported to the relevant national authority or RFMO, in contravention of applicable laws and regulations.
Vessels: a ship or large boat
Environmental crime: is an illegal act which directly harms the environment
Exploit: use (a situation or person) in an unfair or selfish way.
Supply: availability of the commodity
Economic incentive: something that motivates an individual to perform an action, usually in the form of a financial benefit
Mitigation: the action of reducing the severity, seriousness, or painfulness of something.
Pirate: a person who attacks and robs ships at sea.
Food Security: is a condition related to the ongoing availability of food
Species: a group of individuals that can successfully reproduce to form fertile offspring
Marine ecosystem: are the largest aquatic system on the planet, covering over 70% of the Earth's surface. The habitats that make up this vast system range from the productive nearshore regions to the barren ocean floor.
Endangered: On the verge on extinction
Sustainability: how biological systems remain diverse and productive; the endurance of systems and processes
Coral reefs: a ridge of rock in the sea formed by the growth and deposit of coral.

Productivity: The quantity of organic matter or its equivalent in dry matter, carbon, or energy content, which is accumulated during a given period of time.
Bio-diversity: short for biological diversity, is the term used to describe the variety of life found on Earth and all of the natural processes. This includes ecosystem, genetic and cultural diversity, and the connections between these and all species.
Population: s a summation of all the organisms of the same group or species, which live in the same geographical area, and have the capability of interbreeding
Imbalance: lack of proportion or relation between corresponding things.
Illegal fishing takes place when vessels operate in violation of the laws of a fishery. According to FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture
Department, illegal fishing has caused losses worth US$23 billion per year with about 30 percent of illegal fishing in the world occurring only in Indonesia, the vast archipelago country.
The drivers behind illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing are similar to those behind many other types of international environmental crime: pirate fishers have a strong economic incentive - many species of fish, particularly those that have been over-exploited and are thus in short supply, are of high financial value.
Such IUU activity may then show a high chance of success – i.e. a high rate of return – from the failure of governments to regulate adequately (e.g. inadequate coverage of international agreements), or to enforce national or international laws (e.g. because of lack of capacity, or poor levels of governance).
Since no-one is reporting catches made by pirates, their level of fishing cannot be accurately quantified. However, industry observers believe IUU occurs in most fisheries, and accounts for up to 30% of total catches in some important fisheries

Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing usually has a significant impact on the sustainability of both the targeted species and the ecosystem.
Fishing generally has the capacity to damage fragile marine ecosystems and vulnerable species such as coral reefs. Illegal fishing and hunting are two major reasons for their destruction.
Regulating legitimate fisheries is aimed at mitigating such impacts, but pirates rarely comply with regulations. This reduces productivity and biodiversity and creates imbalances in the ecosystem. This in turn may lead to reduced food security in communities heavily dependent on fish.
IUU fishing can also lead to increased pressure on endangered fish species. IUU fishing can directly affect the population of fish species by increasing the number of fish caught within the population in spite of population management efforts by the international community.
1. Indonesia
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30% of global illegal fishing occurs here. However, as a developing country is unable to successfully enforce laws to prevent unreported and unregulated fishing.
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Indonesian experts report that it is extremely difficult to track the whereabouts of IUU vessels around the country’s islands and archipelagos. The volume of the illegal catch here is correspondingly high, amounting to 1.5 million tonnes annually.
2. European Union

European Union (EU) regulation aims to ensure that anyone who wishes to land or export fish and fish products to the EU can only do so if the country under whose flag the fish was caught can show that it has laws and regulations to conserve and manage its marine resources, and that these are enforced. The
EU can blacklist vessels that are found to have been fishing illegally and countries that fail to take action to

prevent, deter and eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.

In 2006, for example, several Spanish trawlers were inspected by the Norwegian Coast Guard near
Svalbard (Spitsbergen). The trawlers were found to hold not only the reported catch of headed and gutted cod but also a total of 600 tonnes of cod fillets which had not been reported to the Norwegian authorities.
The Norwegian authorities subsequently imposed fines on the Spanish trawler company equivalent to 2 million euros.
3. West African states (Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The
Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali,
Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo)
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These countries generally cannot afford to establish effective fisheries control structures, the IUU vessels are able, in many cases, to operate with impunity.
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Approximately 40% of all fish caught fall under the category of illegal, unregulated or unreported fishing.
4. China
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Practise IUU fishing in the Northwest Pacific Ocean
5. Russia
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Practise IUU fishing in the Northwest Pacific Ocean
6. Australia

IUU fishing is practised in Australian waters.
http://www.stopillegalfishing.com/sifnews_article.php?ID=45#sthas h.O9rqtSKy.dpuf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illegal,_unreported_and_unregulated_fi shing#Economic_and_environmental_impacts http://www.stopillegalfishing.com/sifnews_article.php?ID=45 http://worldoceanreview.com/en/wor-2/fisheries/illegal-fishing/

http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/ia/iuu/faqs.html
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/ole/slider_stories/2013/enforcementmonth-iuu.html
http://www.worldwildlife.org/threats/illegal-fishing