Not all illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing happens on the High Seas as people would have you believe.
Some of the biggest IUU issues happen in the western world with poachers, some of whom run sophisticated gangs, especially on high priced seafood such as Abalone.
Here we highlight two current issues, one from New Zealand and the other from Australia on poachers being caught. In New South Wales town of Narrandera restaurant owner has been fined over Aus$7000 for having an endangered fish on the premises, namely one trout cod and having purchased fish illegally (18 Murray cod, 23 golden perch).
There is also a limit of four Murray cod and 10 golden perch per person.
Meanwhile in New Zealand two men will appear in court later this month after Eastern Fish & Game staff and police caught them "pillaging" 29 trout from a spawning stream near Rotorua, in the North Island.
It is one of the worst cases of poaching recorded in the area for the best part of a decade.
"This has the potential to deliver a huge blow to breeding stocks and the future fish population in the area," Eastern Fish & Game officer Anthony van Dorp said.
Penalties for poaching fish during winter spawning season range from a maximum of two years' jail or fines of up to NZ$100,000.
"Wild spawning trout are very important to the fishery and need to be protected - it's not just the damage done when poachers take spawning trout but the massive damage they do to the trout spawning grounds and trout eggs in the streams," Mr van Dorp said.
The Aquaculturists
This blog is maintained by The Aquaculturists staff and is supported by the magazine International Aquafeed which is published by Perendale Publishers Ltd.