The US government has announced a set of actions to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing that the White House says is significantly contributing to global overfishing and the collapse or decline of fisheries.
Namely, President Biden signed a National Security Memorandum (NSM) on IUU fishing and related harmful fishing practices, recognizing the issue as a national security threat.
IUU fishing often involves forced labor, human trafficking, and other crimes and human rights abuses. Left unchecked, IUU fishing and associated labor abuses undermine U.S. economic competitiveness, national security, fisheries sustainability, and the livelihoods and human rights of fishers around the world and will exacerbate the environmental and socioeconomic effects of climate change
the White House said.
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The Biden Administration now aims to address IUU fishing by increasing coordination between both public and private entities in the U.S. and abroad and directing the government to use the the full range of “existing conservation, labor, trade, economic, diplomatic, law enforcement, and national security authorities” to tackle some of the biggest challenges with IUU fishing.
In fact, US will launch an IUU Fishing Action Alliance with the UK and Canada, in which it will pledge urgent action to improve monitoring and surveillance of fisheries and increase transparency in the market, as well as hold “bad actors” accountable.
The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is also being directed to propose a rule to enhance and strengthen its ability to address IUU fishing activities and combat forced labor in the seafood supply chain.
