Huffman leads call for crackdown on illegal fishing

November 15, 2019

Dubbing oceans "the wild west of our planet," Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) yesterday called on NOAA to step up its attack on illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing around the globe.

"The remoteness of the open ocean, combined with limited data and monitoring of fishing vessels, and a lack of law enforcement capabilities, create a perfect storm for illegal activity," said Huffman, chairman of the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Oceans and Wildlife.

At a hearing before the panel, Huffman led the calls for the federal government to take a bigger role in cracking down on what NOAA calls IUU fishing, short for illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing.

Ame Sagiv, senior manager of investments for Humanity United, called it an issue that most Americans "are likely not aware of."

"When we buy seafood that is not caught and processed in the U.S. ... it is almost guaranteed that we are consuming seafood produced by IUU or forced labor somewhere along that journey from bait to plate or farm to fork," she told the panel.

Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), chairman of the Natural Resources Committee, said the use of forced labor in the seafood supply chain has become "a very disturbing reality."

"It's crucial that we talk about IUU fishing in this committee," he said.

John Connelly, president of the National Fisheries Institute, told the panel that illegally harvested seafood is also damaging harvesters who operate legally. Furthermore, it undercuts confidence in fishery management systems that the industry relies on.

The best approach to fighting it, he said, is to "keep up the interagency pressure on governments to forcefully address this challenge and to work collaboratively with sectors such as ours in targeting and immediately eliminating abuses wherever they are found."

Alexa Cole, acting director of NOAA's Office of International Affairs and Seafood Inspection, said the agency is tracking the issue by identifying nations that engage in IUU fishing.

In a biennial report to Congress in September, NOAA said Mexico, Ecuador and South Korea had been identified for illegal activities, while the agency said it had "several areas of concern involving China."

"Combating IUU fishing is a priority for this administration," Cole told the panel.

Huffman said NOAA's current definition of IUU fishing is too narrow and should be broadened to match international definitions set by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

He said a broader definition would allow NOAA to include other countries on its list of violators and to focus on violations of both national and international laws, such as forced labor, human trafficking and money laundering.

"These are all problems associated with IUU fishing," Huffman said.


By:  Rob Hotakainen
Source: E&E News