The global seafood market faces a significant challenge that could affect your business reputation and bottom line. Illegally caught fish infiltrates supply chains worldwide, creating risks for companies that unknowingly purchase and sell IUU fishing products. This contamination happens more often than most businesses realize, with consequences ranging from regulatory violations to costly lawsuits and damaged brand credibility.
Understanding how to identify and avoid illegally caught fish protects your business from these risks while supporting sustainable fishing practices. This guide walks you through recognizing illegal fishing operations, spotting warning signs in your supply chain, and implementing verification methods that help ensure your seafood comes from legitimate sources.
What makes fish “illegally caught” and why it matters
IUU fishing stands for illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing activities that operate outside established laws and regulations. These practices take several forms, each presenting different risks to your supply chain:
- Illegal fishing – Vessels operating without proper licenses, fishing in prohibited areas, or using banned gear and methods that violate national or international regulations
- Unreported fishing – Catches that are not properly documented or reported to relevant authorities, making it impossible to track quota compliance and stock assessments
- Unregulated fishing – Operations in areas where no management measures exist, or by vessels that do not comply with existing conservation measures established by regional fisheries organizations
These three categories of IUU fishing create a massive global problem that undermines legitimate fishing operations and threatens marine ecosystems. The scale affects global seafood markets significantly, with some estimates suggesting IUU fishing accounts for up to 20% of global catch volumes, representing billions of dollars in economic losses annually. Beyond the economic impact, IUU fishing operations often involve poor working conditions, including forced labor and unsafe practices, while causing environmental damage through overfishing of vulnerable species and depletion of fish stocks that legitimate fisheries depend on for their livelihoods.
Red flags that signal illegally caught seafood
Several warning signs could indicate illegally caught fish in your supply chain. Recognizing these red flags helps you make better sourcing decisions and avoid potential problems:
- Pricing anomalies – Fish priced significantly below market rates may come from illegal operations that avoid licensing fees, taxes, and proper labor costs
- Documentation gaps – Missing or incomplete paperwork, handwritten forms instead of official certificates, or supplier reluctance to provide catch certificates and chain-of-custody records
- Suspicious origin claims – Seafood claimed to come from areas known for IUU fishing activity, or products with vague geographic origins like “Pacific Ocean” , or even mentioning all oceans , without specific fishing zones or vessel information
- Vessel tracking inconsistencies – Gaps in vessel tracking data, frequent name changes, or vessels operating in areas where they should not be fishing, such as Marine Protected Areas ( MPAs) .
- Supplier evasiveness – Reluctance to answer questions about fishing methods, vessel details, or supply chain practices that legitimate operators would readily discuss
While any single red flag might have an innocent explanation, multiple warning signs appearing together should trigger additional investigation. These indicators help you identify potential risks before illegally caught fish enters your supply chain, protecting your business from regulatory violations and reputational damage.
How to verify your seafood comes from legal sources
Implementing verification processes helps ensure your seafood traceability meets legal and sustainability standards. These practical methods help validate your suppliers and their products:
- Check certifications and documentation – Look for recognized sustainability certifications like MSC or ASC, verify that catch certificates match vessel registrations, and request complete chain-of-custody documentation
- Ask suppliers specific questions – Request information about fishing vessel names, registration numbers, fishing areas, catch dates, and fishing methods used
- Verify vessel registrations – Cross-reference supplier claims against official databases maintained by regional fisheries management organizations
- Use digital verification tools – Implement systems that automatically check vessel registrations, IUU blacklists, and regulatory compliance across multiple databases
- Establish clear supplier requirements – Make traceability documentation, sustainability certifications, and regular audits part of your purchasing contracts
- Conduct periodic reviews – Regularly assess supplier compliance and update verification procedures as regulations and risks evolve
These verification steps create multiple layers of protection against IUU fishing products entering your supply chain. By combining documentation checks, database verification, and ongoing supplier monitoring, you build a comprehensive system that protects your business while supporting legitimate fishing operations and sustainable seafood practices.
How SmarTuna helps prevent illegal fish in your supply chain
SmarTuna addresses the challenge of IUU fishing through comprehensive digital traceability and verification that starts at the first mile. The platform captures real-time vessel activity via satellite VMS and AIS tracking, providing immediate visibility into fishing operations from the moment a fishing trip begins.
The system automatically verifies data against more than 15 regulatory and certification databases, including RFMO registries, ISSF PVR, MSC CoC, and IUU blacklists. This automated verification process helps detect potential problems before illegally caught fish enters your supply chain.
Key features that prevent IUU fishing include:
- Real-time vessel tracking and monitoring – Identifies suspicious fishing patterns and verifies vessels are operating in authorized areas with proper permissions
- Unique raw material IDs – Assigned at port discharge, linking each batch to verified origin and composition data for complete traceability
- Digital storage of verification documents – Creates audit-ready traceability records per batch, ensuring all compliance documentation is readily available
- Automated regulatory form completion – Handles EU CATCH, US SIMP, and FSMA documentation requirements automatically using verified data
- Social compliance integration – Detects forced labor risks by connecting with social compliance certifications and monitoring systems
These integrated features work together to create a comprehensive defense against IUU fishing risks while streamlining compliance processes. By combining real-time monitoring, automated verification, and complete documentation, SmarTuna helps ensure your seafood sourcing meets the highest standards for legality, sustainability, and social responsibility.
Ready to protect your supply chain from IUU fishing risks? Contact SmarTuna today to learn how digital traceability and verification can safeguard your brand reputation while ensuring sustainable seafood sourcing.
