One in Three Fish Imported Into U.S. May Be Illegal
A new study says up to $2 billion worth of wild-caught seafood imports comes from pirate fishing around the world.
Do you know if the fish on your plate is legal? A new study estimates that 20 to 32 percent of wild-caught seafood imported into the U.S. comes from illegal or "pirate" fishing. That's a problem, scientists say, because it erodes the ability of governments to limit overfishing and the ability of consumers to know where their food comes from.
The estimated illegal catch is valued at $1.3 billion to $2.1 billion annually and represents between 15 and 26 percent of the total value of wild-caught seafood imported into the U.S., report scientists in a new study in the journal Marine Policy.
To get those numbers, Pitcher and three other scientists analyzed data on seafood imported into the U.S. in 2011.
