Pew Praises Key Recommendations to Combat Illegal Fishing

Washington—The U.S. Presidential Task Force on Combating Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing and Seafood Fraud released 15 recommendations today to address current gaps in U.S. policy on illegal fishing. The Pew Charitable Trusts issued the following statement from Karen Sack, senior director of international oceans:

“This is a robust proposal that brings together the collective power of U.S. government agencies in an approach that applies not only to national waters, but also to fishing done more than 200 miles offshore. The world can absolutely eradicate illegal fishing, and the recommendations laid out by the task force contain many of the measures that can help solve this global problem,” she said.

“The U.S. fishing industry, which supports nearly 1 million American jobs, is threatened when illegal foreign operators undercut the U.S. market with cheaper, illegally caught imports. The task force recommends measures to catch these operators when their vessels tie up at U.S. ports. In January, Congress can do its part by quickly sending the Port State Measures Agreement to the Oval Office for the president’s signature. Implementation of this agreement is a key part of stopping stolen fish from entering the U.S. market,” she added.