Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing as a National Security Threat

November 3, 2017

Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing is most often discussed in terms of economic, regulatory, environmental, and food security challenges. IUU fishing certainly touches on each of these areas of concern. But it is also a nontraditional security threat, and one that is underappreciated by most of the policy community in the United States and abroad. This report examines the primary ways in which IUU fishing intersects with national security concerns, how government and nonstate actors are tackling the problem, and areas where more work must be done, including in the largely unregulated high seas beyond national jurisdiction.