Pew works to protect global marine biodiversity and provide food and livelihoods for the world’s fast-growing population by addressing one of the main threats to ocean health—inadequate management and control of large-scale fishing.
Overfishing and illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing put the ocean and marine life at risk, straining the health of ecosystems and people’s food and economic security. Overfishing harms efforts to sustainably manage global fisheries and ensure that ecosystems are healthy and resilient. IUU fishing costs countries billions of dollars each year and circumvents both their laws and the measures that regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs)—intergovernmental bodies that oversee fisheries that cross national boundaries—put in place to manage the world’s fish stocks. At least 1 in 5 fish caught in the global ocean is a product of IUU fishing.
But the tide is turning. Pew works with governments, RFMOs and other multinational bodies, scientific experts, nongovernmental organizations, and the fishing industry to address these threats and secure meaningful improvements to the management and control of large-scale fishing activities. Pew and its partners advance targeted strategies that encourage countries to deliver on their commitments to protect marine biodiversity, help fish populations adapt to climate change, effectively oversee and manage their fishing fleets, and use precautionary, science-based management to ensure sustainable fisheries for the future.
OUR WORK
