NOAA Fisheries has identified six nations engaged in illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing based on the activities of those foreign governments from 2022 through 2024.
Every two years, the agency sends a report to Congress identifying which countries are engaged in IUU fishing, which countries have adequate shark protections, and which countries have forced labor present in their seafood supply chains. NOAA Fisheries also issues certifications based on what actions countries identified in past reports have done to address the problems raised by the agency.
The 2026 Report to Congress on Improving International Fisheries Management identified six nations engaged in IUU fishing: Costa Rica, Grenada, Mexico, Morocco, China, and the Russian Federation. Mexico, Grenada, and China were also listed in the 2023 version of the report and were given negative certifications for failing to improve over the last two years. Angola, The Gambia, Taiwan, and Vanuatu – the other four nations identified in the 2023 report – were given positive certifications in the 2026 report for taking action to improve their fisheries.
China was quick to respond to the report, dismissing its findings as “political manipulation.”
“These ‘certifications’ announced by the U.S. pursuant to its domestic law have neither factual evidence nor basis in international law. It is stark political manipulation with the malicious aim of thwarting the development of China’s distant water fishing industry. We deplore and reject this move,” Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun said in 3 July remarks. “China is a responsible fishing nation with a zero-tolerance policy for illegal fishing. With sound legislation, strict enforcement and rigorous judicial oversight, it has ranked among the top in compliance assessments of regional fisheries management organizations.”
In its report, NOAA Fisheries said China “did not provide sufficient documentary evidence that it conducted credible investigations into these allegations or took corrective action to address any substantiated violations.” The U.S. admitted that China provided additional information on its investigations in June 2025, but it was received too late to be considered in the 2026 report. However, the U.S. did give China a positive certification for addressing the issues raised in NOAA Fisheries’ 2021 report.
China-flagged longlined vessels were prohibited from entering U.S. ports in October 2024, and NOAA Fisheries said the port denials will remain in effect due to the negative certifications for the 2023 report.
Along with Burma, China was also identified in the 2026 report as having forced and child labor in its seafood supply chains.
In response, Jiakun criticized the United States’ own track record of ocean stewardship.
“In contrast, the U.S. has a deplorable track record in illegal fishing, marine resource depletion and ocean pollution,” Jiakun said. “It has been overfishing tuna beyond quotas in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean, with numerous cases of violations identified by the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission. What the U.S. should do is reflect on itself rather than smear others.”
Starting with the 2023 report, NOAA Fisheries also identified nations that have failed to adequately protect sharks, and Ghana, Japan, Mexico, Namibia, China, and Taiwan were identified for not having regulations comparable to those in force in the United States. China and Vanuatu – the only two nations identified in the 2023 report – received negative certifications for failing to take corrective actions.
“NOAA Fisheries will continue working with nations and entities to address these activities by encouraging implementation of effective fisheries management and enforcement practices globally – which helps ensure that the fish and fish products the United States imports are caught sustainably and legally,” NOAA Fisheries said.
