Improving global trade data to enhance fisheries traceability and the detection of illicit harvests and trade

In an era of rising seafood demand and declining ocean health, the ongoing prevalence of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing represents a major global concern, threatening vulnerable species and ecosystems,... [ view full abstract ]

In an era of rising seafood demand and declining ocean health, the ongoing prevalence of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing represents a major global concern, threatening vulnerable species and ecosystems, fleecing the economy, jeopardising human livelihoods and having frequent links to highly-organised transnational crime. As seafood trade routes become longer and more complex, there is an ever-increasing need to trace seafood from source to consumption, as well as to understand where IUU fishing occurs and how and where illegal products infiltrate the market. Theoretically, the analysis of trade data should offer a tangible avenue for elucidating the external market forces driving fisheries harvest, as well as discrepancies that point to illegal activities. Yet, by collating and comparing existing production, import and export records for various valuable fisheries commodities – including ‘snappers’ (family: Lutjanidae), ‘seabreams’ (family: Sparidae) and ‘groupers’ (subfamily: Epinephelinae) – we demonstrate that official trade data severely lack the level of detail required to track trade flows and inform sustainable management of many heavily-exploited fish species. Moreover, our analysis highlights current constraints of the widely used international ‘Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System’ (HS system) that give rise to trade data discrepancies and ultimately offer opportunities for products from illegal sources to enter global marketplaces. Considering these results, we contend that the lack of taxonomic granularity and use of vague generic names in official trade records represent one of the most insidious impediments to seafood traceability and suggest that the HS system should evolve to address these gaps.