FAO: Shutting the door on illegal fishing At FAO-brokered meeting on 10 September 2004 in Rome, countries debate ways to block access to seaports by ships involved in IUU fishing. The problem of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing is growing .... both in scope and intensity, recent FAO studies show. A wide range of illicit activities fall into the category of IUU fishing, for example: operating without licences; targeting and catching prohibited species; using outlawed types of gear; disregarding catch quotas; or non-reporting or underreporting of species and catch weights. "Taken together, the impacts of these activities add up. Globally, IUU fishing is seriously undermining international efforts to conserve and manage fish stocks in a sustainable manner," says Ichiro Nomura, FAO Assistant Director-General for Fisheries. "All responsible countries must work together to put an end to IUU fishing."