11 September 2015: The Governments of the Russian Federation and the US have signed an agreement aimed at combating illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. The agreement focuses on enhancing coordination among the multiple government agencies in both countries responsible for this issue, facilitating cooperation to address the problem.

Signed in Portland, Oregon, US, during the 26th annual Intergovernmental Consultative Committee (ICC) meeting, the agreement builds on years of joint efforts by the two Governments to fight illegal fishing. The ICC meeting was hosted by the US and addressed oceans and fisheries issues of mutual concern.

According to the US Department of State, the agreement enjoys strong support among the US environmental community, as well as the fishing industry in the Pacific Northwest region and Alaska. Commenting on the bilateral agreement, Michele Kuruc, WWF Vice President for Ocean Policy, called it a “sure sign of progress” to “ensure the health of our shared fish stocks.”

“Given the history of problems in north Pacific fisheries and the seafood trade challenges between the two countries, this agreement is significant,” she added. “We hope that through this agreement we will see more effective collaboration on detecting illegal fishing, cooperative investigations, better data and information sharing when needed.” [US State Department Press Release] [WWF Press Release] [Russian Federal Agency for Fishing Press Release]