Combatting Seafood Fraud: Presidential Task Force Releases Final Action Plan

By Melissa Lind, contributing writer

The final action plan from Presidential Task Force on Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing and Seafood Fraud has been released. The plan outlines steps to be taken by federal agencies which will implement recommendations made by the task force in December 2014.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reports that nearly 10 billion pounds of fish and shellfish, worth $5.5 billion, was caught by U.S. fishing enterprises in 2013. However, Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing undermines economic opportunities for fishermen who abide by international standards, both inside and outside of the U.S. Illegal fishing also contributes to fuel trafficking operations. “IUU fishing and seafood fraud undermine economic and environmental sustainability of fisheries and fish stocks in the U.S. and around the world. These actions [the Presidential Task Force’s Seafood Fraud Action Plan] aim to level the playing field for legitimate fishermen, increase consumer confidence in the sustainability of seafood sold in the U.S., and ensure the vitality of marine fish stocks,” says Kathryn Sullivan, NOAA Administrator.

The plan identifies actions to be taken that will create traceability programs to track seafood from harvest to entry into the U.S. market through strengthened enforcement and expanded partnerships with governmental, non-governmental, and members of the fishing industry. The plan also outlines ways in which the U.S. will work with foreign agencies to combat IUU fishing and seafood fraud, including work in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). The TPP is a regional trade agreement between countries accounting for approximately 25 percent of the global seafood trade and is set to be the first-ever agreement of its type.

Actions included in the plan include:

• Complete TPP negotiations that international plans to combat IUU fishing and provisions to eliminate subsidies for harmful fisheries
• Enact congressional legislation and receive commitments from a minimum of 14 added foreign countries for the Port State Measures Agreement
• Work with international governments and organizations in the advancement of monitoring and control of international fisheries
• Implement a strategy for information collection, sharing, and analysis to prevent IUU and fraudulently-labeled seafood products from entering the U.S. market
• Prioritize seafood fraud and IUU enforcement with joint operations between federal and state agencies with increased investigation and prosecution of 2015 cases
• Enhance communication and collaboration with the seafood industry through annual forum and creation of information database that can be accessed online
• Develop traceability plans, including definition of types of information and ways of collection and determine how that information can be shared with the public