Southeast Asian fishing vessels facing declining profits are seeking alternative revenue sources, including through the illegal transportation of wildlife products, according to a new study.
The study, titled “Webs of exploitation and opportunism: Tiger trafficking and crime convergence between Malaysia and Vietnam” was jointly produced by wild cat nonprofit Panthera, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia-based Sunway University, and the Zoological Society of London (ZSL). It details a vast network of fishing vessels involved in human trafficking, child labor, and illegal wildlife trade – specifically of Malayan tiger products, which is a critically endangered species with only 150 individuals left in the wild – along the maritime route between Malaysia and Vietnam.
The findings from the study, which is based on six months of research and includes interviews with 53 individuals possessing knowledge of the illegal activity, suggest that these issues are deeply interconnected, highlighting an opportunity for conservation and human rights organizations to collaborate in dismantling criminal operations for the protection of both species conservation and human rights.
“One crime creates an opportunity for another crime. Our findings highlight how interconnected different kinds of illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, smuggling, and human rights violations are,” Lead Author and Panthera Counter-Wildlife Crime Research and Analytics Lead Robert Pickles said. “Smuggling wildlife is one [consequence] that has emerged from IUU fishing, the continuation of which undermines the industry’s reputation and efforts to move toward sustainable harvesting. As the tactics and array of actors have become more established and entrenched, the diversity of illegal activities at sea between Malaysia and Vietnam has grown.”
According to the report, fishing vessels engaging in the practice evade law enforcement by rendezvousing at sea, where they offload illegal wildlife products and resupply without docking in port. The illegal products are often concealed under layers of fish and ice, making detection difficult for maritime authorities.
The study also revealed multiple methods of collaboration between Malaysian and Vietnamese vessels. In some cases …
