US Ramps Up Fight Against Illegal Fishing

NOAA has entered into a memorandum of understanding with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing across borders and promote sustainable fisheries abroad, as the U.S. ramps up its fight against practices that threaten global food security, damage economies and risk the sustainability of fisheries and marine ecosystems.

This partnership builds on NOAA's larger work with the U.S. State Department and U.S. Coast Guard under the Maritime SAFE Act, which was signed into law last year.

Through this agreement, the two agencies plan to build upon each other's respective programs, strategies and investments to support developing countries as they strengthen their own assessment, monitoring and enforcement capabilities. They will also aim to promote innovations in combating IUU fishing through alliances with other governments and the private sector and increase incentives for compliance and consequences for violating fisheries rules.

“Together, our two agencies are well positioned to help nations combat IUU fishing practices which have emerged as a leading maritime security threat and are associated with human rights abuses and other forms of transnational crime,” said retired Navy Rear Adm. Timothy Gallaudet, Ph.D., assistant secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and deputy NOAA administrator. “I commend the staff of NOAA and USAID who worked to develop this agreement, and thank all those who work every day to stop IUU fishing through diplomacy, enforcement, and science.”