Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing activity in the Caribbean region during the January–March 2026 quarter was concentrated along the southern and eastern Caribbean, with hotspots in Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, and Martinique. Venezuelan-flagged vessels dominated detected fishing operations, with over half operating outside Venezuelan waters, primarily in the EEZs of Guyana, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago. Dark activity by Venezuelan fishing vessels surged in November 2025 and again in March 2026, concentrated along the Guianas shelf — a corridor with documented overlap between IUU fishing and narcotics trafficking. Open-source intelligence links some Venezuelan-flagged activity to Chinese interests, including industrial-scale shark finning operations using Chinese-crewed vessels flying Venezuelan flags. A likely Taiwanese distant-water fleet (the CHUNG KUO vessels) was detected operating in Guyana and Suriname under Panama and Belize flags of convenience, with high IUU risk ratings and forced labor indicators. Panama emerged as a key convergence point for at-sea transshipment and refueling activity, enabling potential fish laundering outside port oversight. Vessels of interest include the high-IUU-risk CAYO CRASQUI, the Russian-flagged NOVAYA ZEMLYA, and the cargo vessel ADELAIDE, beneficially owned by a subsidiary of China Construction Bank.
