Greenpeace has launched an online database of fishing vessels involved in illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, and the companies that own them.
The global environmental organisation launched its 'IUU blacklist' as the West and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission met in Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia, to discuss increased regulation of tuna fishing in the Pacific where IUU fishing of the regional tuna stocks is rife.
IUU fishing has become a global scourge. It is a multi-billion dollar business that affects many communities, especially from developing countries such as those in the Pacific that can least afford to be robbed of their livelihoods and sustenance. It leaves the marine environment bruised and battered, undermining food security and attempts at sustainable management.
The Greenpeace IUU blacklist is the first one-stop independent record of fishing vessels, support vessels and companies involved in pirate fishing. Published by Greenpeace International, it includes independent observations from the legal fishing industry, government authorities, and first-hand evidence from Greenpeace and other NGOs who have recorded the activities of these vessels and companies at sea and in ports around the world.
The new Greenpeace database supplements the IUU database launched in 2007, which contained only those pirate fishing vessels officially blacklisted by regional fisheries management organisations and governments.
Greenpeace is urging all retailers and seafood traders to ensure they do not purchase pirate-caught fish and, as a first step, to ensure that they do not trade with companies listed as operators of pirate vessels.
