Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing is fishing which does not comply with obligations at the following levels:
- national
- regional
- global fisheries conservation, and
- management.
IUU fishing can occur within zones of national jurisdiction, within areas of control of regional fisheries bodies, or on the high seas. With increasing demand for fishery products and the decline of fishery resources, the increasing incidence of IUU fishing has been of great concern to responsible fishing nations.