A committee tasked in the United States with combating Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing is opening up a public comment period on proposed measures to determine which ocean species should be labeled “at risk” due to so-called “pirate fishing.”
The National Ocean Council (NOC)’s Committee on IUU Fishing and Seafood Fraud will release a draft of new principles for producing a list of at risk species, along with a draft list of species in July 2015.
Last summer, The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) together with the U.S. State Department assigned a presidential task force to produce an action plan addressing the problem of IUU fishing. In March of this year, the task force issued its plan, and transitioned the ongoing work on IUU fishing to the NOC’s new committee.
“Public input is an important first step as we work to identify which species are at risk,” said NOAA Administrator Kathryn Sullivan. “IUU fishing and seafood fraud distort legal markets and unfairly compete with the catch and seafood products of law-abiding fishers and seafood industries.”
The committee is asking for public input on measurable principles that can apply to domestic and international fisheries.
“We value public input in tackling the complex global challenges of IUU fishing and seafood fraud,” said State Department Under Secretary Cathy Novelli. “The United States is working closely with partners around the world to promote sustainable fisheries, protect the livelihoods of those engaged in legal fishing, and build consumers’ confidence in the seafood they eat.”
By December 2016, officials will identify the next steps in expanding the program to all seafood entering U.S. commerce, taking into careful consideration input from stakeholders.
