Washington, D.C., Nov. 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A new handbook released today outlines recommendations that countries can adopt to improve their import control programs to prevent illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing products from entering the international seafood market. The U.S. IUU Fishing and Labor Rights Coalition, the European Union (EU) IUU Fishing Coalition, and the IUU Forum Japan jointly published the Fisheries Import Control Scheme Handbook (FICSH).
The handbook offers streamlined guidance that countries can utilize to track and trace potential IUU seafood and prevent it from entering their markets to help address the problem of IUU fishing and seafood fraud. The United States imports approximately 94% of the seafood consumed in the country, yet less than 40% of seafood imports are covered by the Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP), the United States’ import control program.
“There should be no safe harbor for illegal seafood anywhere in the world,” said Dr. Max Valentine, Oceana’s Illegal Fishing and Transparency Campaign Director, who was also a contributor to the handbook. “Import control programs that require catch documentation and traceability help governments determine the who, what, when, where, and how of seafood to help keep illegally caught or mislabeled products from entering the market. These programs help ensure that the seafood we eat is safe, legally caught, responsibly sourced, and honestly labeled. The United States, along with all major market states, must implement these crucial recommendations so there is no port where IUU fishers will find profit.”
“When seafood imports are traceable and held to consistent standards, perpetrators of illegal fishing and labor abuse lose the loopholes that allow them to exploit people and the planet,” said Penelope Kyritsis, Coordinator of the U.S. IUU Fishing and Labor Rights Coalition. “The FICSH handbook gives governments a clear, practical roadmap for closing their markets to seafood linked to illegal fishing and forced labor.”
"This handbook is a game-changer for global seafood traceability,” said Lindsay Ceron, Senior Project Director at FishWise. “FishWise is proud to join the U.S., EU, and Japan Coalitions in creating it — ensuring harmonized import control rules stop illegal seafood before it ever reaches a plate."
The report outlines how import control programs operate and recommends a standard set of key data elements (KDEs) that countries should collect from seafood importers. These KDEs are important data points that accompany seafood shipments to help officials identify whether seafood products came from legal sources. The 17 KDEs outlined in the handbook include vessel name, unique vessel identifier (IMO number), vessel flag, international radio call sign (IRCS), information on exporter/re-exporter, identity of import company, product type, species name, estimated live weight, processed weight, transshipment declaration, event date, catch area, authorization to fish, port of landing, processing location, and fishing gear type or catch method.
The United States only requires 12 of the 17 recommended KDEs in its Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP). The U.S. government formally established SIMP in 2016, requiring catch documentation and traceability for some seafood at risk of illegal fishing and seafood fraud. Under SIMP, KDEs provide the traceability data needed to track seafood back to the point of harvest. But the SIMP currently covers less than half of all imported seafood, approximately 13 species groups, and only traces the products from the boat to the U.S. border. A 2022 Oceana report showed that gaps in SIMP are allowing U.S. seafood demand to drive IUU fishing around the world.
Learn more about Oceana’s work to combat illegal fishing on our oceans here.
Background
Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing is a low-risk, high-reward activity, especially on the high seas where a fragmented legal framework and lack of effective enforcement allow it to thrive. IUU fishing can include fishing without authorization, ignoring catch limits, operating in closed or protected areas, targeting protected wildlife, and fishing with prohibited gear. These illicit activities can destroy important ocean habitat, severely deplete fish populations, and threaten global food security. These actions not only contribute to overfishing but also give illegal fishers an unfair advantage over those who play by the rules.
Oceana released the results of a nationwide poll in 2024, which found that American voters overwhelmingly support transparency and traceability in the seafood supply chain. Included among the key findings, 90% of voters agree that imported seafood should be held to the same standards as U.S. caught seafood. Additionally, 91% of voters agree that seafood caught using human trafficking and slave labor should NOT be bought or sold in the U.S. Eighty-five percent of voters agree that all seafood should be traceable from the fishing boat to the dinner plate, and 88% say consumers should be reassured that the seafood they purchase was legally caught. Oceana’s poll, conducted by the nonpartisan polling company Ipsos using the probability-based KnowledgePanel®, surveyed 1,053 registered U.S. voters from June 28 to 30, 2024.
Oceana is the largest international advocacy organization dedicated solely to ocean conservation. Oceana is rebuilding abundant and biodiverse oceans by winning science-based policies in countries that control one-quarter of the world’s wild fish catch. With more than 325 victories that stop overfishing, habitat destruction, oil and plastic pollution, and the killing of threatened species like turtles, whales, and sharks, Oceana’s campaigns are delivering results. A restored ocean means that 1 billion people can enjoy a healthy seafood meal every day, forever. Together, we can save the oceans and help feed the world. Visit Oceana.org to learn more.
Cory Gunkel Oceana cgunkel@oceana.org