Obama Admin Unveils Big Plan To Combat Illegal Fishing, Seafood Fraud

"The United States is poised to tackle illegal fishing and seafood fraud on a broader scale than ever before, with the release today of a set of recommendations that calls for everything from "boat-to-plate" traceable fish to international enforcement.

Released by a presidential task force, the recommendations are the first step in what ocean advocates hope is a sustained effort to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. While the United States strictly regulates its own fisheries, the rest of the world has a mixed track record -- and provides almost 90 percent of the seafood Americans eat.

Eileen Sobeck, assistant administrator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Marine Fisheries Service, said in an interview today that the recommendations take a "holistic look" at combatting IUU fishing, pulling together various agencies to tackle the problem."

Emily Yehle reports for Greenwire December 16, 2014.