Corruption in the Fisheries Sector: Import Controls, Transparency, and WWF Practice

The document examines the role of transparency in combating corruption within the fisheries sector, which facilitates illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing costing the global economy between 15 billion and 36 billion USD annually. It analyzes the import control systems of the EU and US, industry standards like the Global Dialogue for Seafood Traceability (GDST), and a local digital authorization tool (TrazApp) used in Peru. While these measures improve accountability, the report notes they often fail to address corruption at the licensing stage or the use of forced labor. It recommends a comprehensive mix of electronic reporting, public vessel registration, and the implementation of the Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA) to safeguard marine ecosystems.

• Corruption is a pervasive driver of illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, which is estimated to cause annual direct losses to the global economy of 15 billion to 36 billion USD.
• The EU's Catch Certification Scheme (CCS) is vulnerable to corruption because its paper-based system allows officials to 'rubber-stamp' documents without review or allows certificates to be photocopied to launder illegal catches.
• The US Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP) is limited by its narrow scope, covering only 13 species groups (less than 40% of imports by volume and value), which incentivizes the intentional mislabeling of fish to avoid regulations.
• Industry-led standards like the Global Dialogue for Seafood Traceability (GDST) establish key data elements for interoperable systems, but they cannot prevent corruption if the original data entered into the system was obtained through bribes.
• In Peru, corruption in the mahi mahi fishery is evidenced by officials from the General Directorate of Captaincies and Coastguards (DICAPI) extorting fishermen for 'departure certificates' required to set sail.
• WWF's TrazApp in Peru aims to reduce corruption by digitizing vessel registration and departure certificates, thereby minimizing unrecorded interactions between fishers and officials.
• Transparency measures alone are insufficient; a comprehensive approach is required, including the prohibition of transshipment at sea, public vessel ownership registries, and the full implementation of the Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA).

APA

Freitas, B. (2021). Corruption in the Fisheries Sector: Import Controls, Transparency, and WWF Practice. WWF International. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/131/38fj9xu5zq_Fisheries_KP.pdf

Chicago

Freitas, Ben. Corruption in the Fisheries Sector: Import Controls, Transparency, and WWF Practice. WWF International, 2021. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/131/38fj9xu5zq_Fisheries_KP.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Freitas |first1=Ben |title=Corruption in the Fisheries Sector: Import Controls, Transparency, and WWF Practice |publisher=WWF International |date=April 2021 |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/131/38fj9xu5zq_Fisheries_KP.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{freitas2021corruption, author = {Freitas, Ben}, title = {{Corruption in the Fisheries Sector: Import Controls, Transparency, and WWF Practice}}, institution = {WWF International}, year = {2021}, month = apr, url = {https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/131/38fj9xu5zq_Fisheries_KP.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }