Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing Strategic Outlook

The Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing Strategic Outlook is a national sectoral strategic document of the U.S. Coast Guard. It announces the U.S. Coast Guard’s commitment to leading a global effort to combat illegal exploitation of the ocean’s fish stocks and protect our national interests. This Outlook establishes three lines of effort critical to achieving success: (1) Promote targeted, effective, intelligence-driven enforcement operations, (2) Counter predatory and irresponsible State behavior, and (3) Expand multilateral fisheries enforcement cooperation.
The Outlook aims to eliminate hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition. To this end, it states that in the face of increasing challenges to global food security and the growing demand for marine resources, the U.S. Coast Guard will advance global efforts to confront IUU fishing to preserve the long-term strategic and economic viability of global fish stocks.
To enable more inclusive and efficient agricultural and food systems, the Outlook seeks to promote targeted, effective, intelligence-driven enforcement operations. The U.S. Coast Guard will lead global efforts to detect and deter IUU fishing on the high seas and in the exclusive economic zones (EEZs) of partner nations. Through the innovative use of intelligence, technology, data analysis, and information sharing, we will identify, target, and interdict illicit actors in the maritime domain in order to disrupt corrupt cycles of influence that enable illegal operations. It also aims to counter predatory and irresponsible state behavior. The U.S. Coast Guard will prioritize operations and engagement in areas where our efforts are most critical to demonstrate U.S. commitment and model responsible behavior. The U.S. Coast Guard will shine a light on the activities of those who violate international rules-based order, exposing and holding accountable the most egregious predatory actors. It further aims to expand multilateral fisheries enforcement cooperation. The U.S. Coast Guard will build and maintain lasting cooperation with key partners to empower regional resource conservation and management. Working with U.S. and international partners, the U.S. Coast Guard will assist at-risk coastal States and like-minded nations to develop and maintain their own robust counter-IUU fishing capacity, bolstering their governance and enforcement systems and affirming the United States as a preferred partner. Through targeted, persistent, and collaborative efforts, we will sustain and strengthen connections with partner nations supporting international oceans governance.