How Interpol's Project Scale Is Changing the Game in Illegal Fishing

With over 70 percent of the Earth’s surface covered by water, only a small fraction of which is regulated by governments, it is no surprise that the high seas are growing more lawless each year. One of the most widespread threats is illegal fishing and its associated crimes. Each year, up to $23.5 billion worth of seafood is stolen from the seas through illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. That translates into 26 million tons, or 1 in every 5 wild-caught fish sold on the market.1 Without proper law enforcement of the seas, illegal fishers will continue to maximize their profits through whatever means possible, robbing law-abiding fishermen, damaging marine ecosystems, and threatening the livelihoods of coastal communities that rely on fish for sustenance or income. Vessels that conduct this activity may often engage in other crimes, such as piracy and human trafficking, posing not just an environmental and economic risk, but a security risk as well.