Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing

Illegal fishing takes place when vessels or harvesters operate in violation of the laws of a fishery. This can apply to fisheries that are under the jurisdiction of a coastal state or to high seas fisheries regulated by regional fisheries management organisations (RFMO). According to FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department, illegal fishing has caused losses estimated at US$23 billion per year with about 30 percent of illegal fishing in the world occurring in Indonesia alone.

Unreported fishing is fishing that has been unreported or misreported to the relevant national authority or RFMO, in contravention of applicable laws and regulations.

Unregulated fishing generally refers to fishing by vessels without nationality, vessels flying the flag of a country not party to the RFMO governing that fishing area or species on the high seas, or harvesting in unregulated areas.

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.