June 5 is a day to fight illegal fishing. It’s the International Day for the Fight Against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing, or IUU fishing. IUU fishing occurs in virtually all bodies of water. It causes problems for varieties of fish struggling to survive. People who are trying to manage fisheries properly, and people who depend on fisheries for food and jobs are fighting illegal fishing.
According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), IUU fishing activities are responsible for the loss of 11–26 million tonnes of fish each year, which is estimated to have an economic value of 10–23 billion USD. IUU fishing activities threatens sustainable management of our marine resources, a situation further exacerbated by overfishing.
History of the day:
In 2015, the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean of the FAO proposed that an initiative be launched to declare an International Day for the Fight against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing. Following extensive consultations, a proposal was submitted to the attention of the thirty-second session of the FAO Committee on Fisheries. In December 2017 the UN General Assembly in its annual resolution on sustainable fisheries proclaimed 5 June as the “International Day for the Fight Against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing.”
