Trinidad and Tobago Seafood Banned in Europe, Floods the U.S.
Oceana urges U.S. government to take further action to protect American consumers from illegally caught seafood
Press Release Date: October 9, 2024
Location: WASHINGTON
Contact:
Cory Gunkel, Megan Jordan | email: cgunkel@oceana.org, mjordan@oceana.org | tel: Cory Gunkel, 202.868.4061
After eight years of working with Trinidad and Tobago to improve the country’s oversight of illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities, the European Union banned imports from Trinidad and Tobago starting in September 2023. Despite this, a recent Oceana analysis of import data found that seafood from Trinidad and Tobago continues to enter the U.S. market.
Oceana’s analysis found that:
- The United States imported more than 1.5 million lbs. (over 700,000 kg.) of seafood valued at more than $11 million from Trinidad and Tobago between September 2023 and July 2024.
- Some of Trinidad and Tobago’s fishing vessels were barred from entering U.S. ports starting in October 2024 due to bycatch of sea turtles, but no action was taken on its history of IUU fishing activity. Based on an Oceana analysis using Global Fishing Watch* data, no large fishing** vessels flagged to Trinidad and Tobago have entered U.S. waters since 2020.
The United States has the power to sanction nations that fail to address IUU fishing through its identification and certification process under the High Seas Driftnet Fishing Moratorium Protection Act. Despite this authority, the U.S. government has refused to ban the imports of seafood from nations negatively certified for their IUU fishing activity.
“The United States can’t claim to take illegal fishing seriously when they allow countries with bad track records to supply our seafood dinners,” Oceana Campaign Director Dr. Max Valentine said. “The European Union’s seafood ban on Trinidad and Tobago should raise red flags and serve as a wake-up call for the United States. The U.S. government must block seafood imports from countries that continue to allow illegal fishing by its vessels. American consumers should have confidence that the seafood they buy is safe, legally caught, responsibly sourced, and honestly labeled.”
Learn more about Oceana’s work to increase transparency on our oceans here.
Background
Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing is a low-risk, high-reward activity, especially on the high seas where a fragmented legal framework and lack of effective enforcement allow it to thrive. IUU fishing can include fishing without authorization, ignoring catch limits, operating in closed or protected areas, targeting protected wildlife, and fishing with prohibited gear. These illicit activities can destroy important ocean habitat, severely deplete fish populations, and threaten global food security. These actions not only contribute to overfishing, but also give illegal fishers an unfair advantage over those who play by the rules.
The U.S. government formally established the Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP) in 2016, requiring catch documentation and traceability for some seafood at risk of illegal fishing and seafood fraud. Currently, this applies to just 13 types of imported seafood and only traces them from the boat to the U.S. border. A 2022 Oceana report showed that gaps in SIMP are allowing U.S. seafood demand to drive IUU fishing around the world.
Oceana released the results of a nationwide poll in 2024, which found that American voters overwhelmingly support transparency and traceability in the seafood supply chain. Included among the key findings, 90% of voters agree that imported seafood should be held to the same standards as U.S. caught seafood. Additionally, 91% of voters agree that seafood caught using human trafficking and slave labor should NOT be bought or sold in the U.S. Eighty-five percent of voters agree that all seafood should be traceable from the fishing boat to the dinner plate, and 88% say consumers should be reassured that the seafood they purchase was legally caught. Oceana’s poll, conducted by the nonpartisan polling company Ipsos using the probability-based KnowledgePanel®, surveyed 1,053 registered U.S. voters from June 28 to 30, 2024.
*Global Fishing Watch, a provider of open data for use in this analysis, is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing ocean governance through increased transparency of human activity at sea. The views and opinions expressed in this report are those of the authors, which are not connected with or sponsored, endorsed, or granted official status by Global Fishing Watch. By creating and publicly sharing map visualizations, data, and analysis tools, Global Fishing Watch aims to enable scientific research and transform the way our ocean is managed. Global Fishing Watch’s public data was used in the production of this publication.
**In the United States, fishing vessels are only required to use AIS if they are 65 feet or longer, and are only required to use AIS within 12 nautical miles of shore. Thus, small fishing vessels may not be included in this analysis.
