Illegal, Unreported, & Unregulated (IUU) fishing is a broad term that describes a growing global problem affecting some of the world's most vulnerable and valuable natural resources - marine life and aquatic ecosystems.

 

IUU fishing activities violate national and international law, threaten food security across the globe, undermine regional and national conservation efforts, and put legally operating and sustainable fisheries at an economic disadvantage. Further, many IUU fishing organizations use forced labor or pay unlivable wages, a form of human trafficking that often goes overlooked.