In December the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) entered into a memorandum of understanding with the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing across borders and promote sustainable fisheries abroad.
Through this agreement, the two agencies plan to build upon each other's respective programs, strategies and investments to achieve the following goals:
- support developing countries as they strengthen their own assessment, monitoring and enforcement capabilities
- promote innovations in combating IUU fishing through alliances with other governments and the private sector
- increase incentives for compliance and consequences for violating fisheries rules
