Stopping Illegal Fishing and Seafood Fraudsters: The Presidential Task Force’s Plan on Tackling IUU Fishing and Seafood Fraud

Abstract

Worldwide seafood markets have a major problem: too often, the seafood listed on the menu is of a different species than what is served. This phenomenon—known as seafood fraud—and the related practice of illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing threatens the sustainability of our oceans, poses health risks to consumers, and forces consumers to pay a high price for a cheap product. Previous domestic and international efforts to combat this issue have failed for a number of reasons, including the international nature of the industry, a byzantine supply chain, the large number of entities responsible for combatting the issue, the lack of resources provided to those entities, and the difficulty identifying and differentiating species of seafood. Recent efforts, like an Action Plan promulgated by the Presidential Task Force on Combating Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing and Seafood Fraud, show promise of curbing the issue, but are nevertheless insufficient. This Note argues for a bilateral agreement between the United States and European Union that provides for coordinated programs and enforcement mechanisms.