Illegal fishing, an industry worth billions of dollars and closely linked to organized crime, is set to become an even greater threat to global security as climate change continues to warm the world's oceans. A report from the Royal United Services Institute, a research organization based in London in partnership with The Pew Charitable Trust, highlights the potential impact of climate change on illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, which is estimated to be worth up to $36.4 billion annually and represents up to a third of the world's total catch.
Moving Fish Stocks
As the world's oceans warm, fish stocks are moving to cooler, deeper waters, with criminal operations expected to follow suit. According to report co-author Lauren Young, IUU actors and fishers in general will be pursuing those fish stocks as they move. There are concerns that they will cross existing maritime boundaries, leading IUU actors to pursue them across those boundaries.
Impact on Fish Stocks and Climate
Global consumption of seafood has risen at more than twice the rate of population growth since the 1960s, and an increasing proportion of global fish stocks have been fished beyond biologically sustainable limits. Fish also play a vital role in capturing carbon through feeding, so a decline in fish stocks could accelerate warming temperatures.
Criminal Activity and Geo-Political Stability
The report highlights that as climate change affects small-scale fisheries, the vulnerability of local livelihoods increases, potentially leading to more IUU practices such as disruptive fishing practices and other criminal activity. There is also a nexus with other crime types, such as narcotics, human trafficking, and labor abuses. Poorer countries may not have the capacity to police their waters, leading to devastating effects on fish stocks. The United States Coast Guard warns that IUU fishing has replaced piracy as the leading global maritime security threat, and if unchecked, it could lead to deterioration of fragile coastal states and increased tension among foreign-fishing nations, threatening geo-political stability.
Initiatives to Tackle Illegal Fishing
The United States has launched a sustainable fishing initiative in Peru and Ecuador aimed at helping artisanal fishing in the face of depleted stocks caused by IUU fishing. The "Por la Pesca" project is having a profound impact on stocks of fish, the livelihoods of fisherpeople, and sustainability. Governments and multinational bodies are called upon to tackle illegal fishing based on climate change predictions, enhance vessel monitoring capabilities and enforce tougher regulations. Greater recognition is also needed of the role the industry plays in wider criminal networks.
The Warming South China Sea
The report highlights the South China Sea, where fishing grounds and maritime boundaries are already hotly contested with frequent armed confrontations. China enforces its self-declared maritime boundary, the nine-dash line, through armed fishing militia, exacerbating existing tensions that are likely to be intensified by climate change. The report calls for multinational agreements to protect biodiversity by establishing vast marine protected areas, but it also emphasizes the need for better monitoring and enforcement of these agreements.
Conclusion
As climate change continues to warm the world's oceans, illegal fishing, an industry worth billions of dollars and closely linked to organized crime, is set to become an even greater threat to global security. Tackling this issue will require multinational agreements, improved monitoring and enforcement, and greater recognition of the role the industry plays in wider criminal networks. Initiatives such as the "Por la Pesca" project in Peru and Ecuador offer hope for sustainable fishing, but urgent action is needed to prevent the depletion of fish stocks, protect biodiversity, and ensure geo-political stability.
In this article, we discuss the growing threat of illegal fishing to global security as climate change warms the world's oceans. Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing is a multibillion-dollar industry linked to organized crime and estimated to be worth up to $36.4 billion annually, representing up to a third of the total global catch. As fish stocks move to cooler, deeper waters due to climate change, criminal operations are expected to follow, leading to increased IUU fishing across existing maritime boundaries.
The report also highlights that fish play a key role in capturing carbon through feeding, so a decline in fish stocks could accelerate warming temperatures. IUU fishing is a threat to small-scale fisheries, leading to more IUU practices such as disruptive fishing practices and other criminal activity. Poorer countries may not have the capacity to police their waters, leading to devastating effects on fish stocks. The United States Coast Guard warns that IUU fishing has replaced piracy as the leading global maritime security threat, potentially leading to deterioration of fragile coastal states and increased tension among foreign-fishing nations, threatening geo-political stability.
Initiatives such as the "Por la Pesca" project in Peru and Ecuador offer hope for sustainable fishing, but urgent action is needed to prevent the depletion of fish stocks, protect biodiversity, and ensure geo-political stability. Governments and multinational bodies are called upon to tackle illegal fishing based on climate change predictions, enhance vessel monitoring capabilities, and enforce tougher regulations. The report also calls for greater recognition of the role the industry plays in wider criminal networks.
The report highlights the South China Sea as a flashpoint, with fishing grounds and maritime boundaries already hotly contested with frequent armed confrontations. China enforces its self-declared maritime boundary, the nine-dash line, through armed fishing militia, exacerbating existing tensions that are likely to be intensified by climate change. The report calls for multinational agreements to protect biodiversity by establishing vast marine protected areas, but it also emphasizes the need for better monitoring and enforcement of these agreements.
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