The United States is the world's largest importer of seafood, with 84% of its production coming from other countries such as Mexico, Belize, Peru, and the Philippines. Surprising new data from Oceana shows that
nearly $2.4 billion worth of illegally-caught seafood found its way to American dinner plates in 2019. is in place to help prevent seafood from being fished illegally, it currently only covers 13 different species of fish and shellfish, like tuna and shrimp. It excludes popular seafood staples like imported salmon, squid, octopus, lobster, and crab.
."The reality is that imported seafood on Americans' plates can originate from illegal fishing, crime, environmental destruction, and human rights abuses.", an illegal fishing campaign manager at Oceana, illegal fishing can have devastating impacts on not only ocean ecosystems, but the people that rely on the ocean for food and economic security.