Illegal fishing in the Pacific Ocean is costing more than $600m a year and is mainly being carried out by legally licensed fishing vessels, a report has found. The Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency released the 100-page report, which is the first in-depth attempt to investigate, quantify and place a monetary value on the illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing practices (IUU) in the region.

The report found the main perpetrators of IUU fishing were licensed vessels hauling in fish stock that went unreported and unregulated. “IUU fishing by the licensed fleet accounts for over 95% of the total volume and value of IUU activity estimated here,” it said. Greenpeace campaigner Oliver Knowles, responding to the report, said governments need to invest more in “policing and monitoring fishing to put pressure on the illegal operators.”

To read the entire article, please click on this link http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/mar/15/illegal-fishing-worth-600m-in-the-pacific-amounts-to-daylight-robbery