Up to 50 percent of seafood sold in Europe is product of illegal fishing
The WWF believes that as much as 50 percent of the seafood sold in Europe is the product of illegal fishing.
Source: Elizabeth Rosenthal,“Something’s fishy as Europe dines,”International Herald Tribune, January 14, 2008, (accessed: January 14, 2008).
$6 million a year for illegal fishing activities off the Somali Coast
Source: Nick Rankin, “No vessel is safe from modern pirates,” BBC News, March 11, 2008.
90 percent drop in Caspian Sea catches
Illegal fishing activities has led to catches in the Caspian Sea to drop by 90 percent from historic highs.
Source: C.J. Chivers, ” Corruption Endangers a Treasure of the Caspian,” York Times, November 28, 2005.
108 percent increase in illegal fishing activites in the US
In the United States, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration opened 750 investigations into illegal fishing activities during the 2006 fiscal year in the Northeast region alone, an increase of 108 percent from 5 years ago.
Source: Associated Press, ” Federal agents try to staunch tidal wave of illegal seafood,” International Herald Tribune, April 28, 2007.
Only 12 tonnes of illegal cavier seizures in 5 years
The Independent reported that ” EU countries imported 591 tonnes of caviar in 2006, but seizures of illegal caviar between 2000 and 2005 totaled just 12 tonnes.”
Source: Martin Hickman, ” British restaurants using black market caviar,” The Independent, July 26, 2007.
Smuggling organization in Iraq makes about $5 million from smuggling oil
According to a report in The Guardian, a smuggling organization in Iraq is estimated to make about $5 million a week from smuggling oil.
Source: Ghaith Abdul-Ahad, “Oiling the wheels of war: Smuggling becomes the real economy of Iraq,” Guardian, June 9, 2007.
40 to 50 percent of profits ends up with insurgents in Iraq
40 to 50 percent of the profits from fuel smuggling is believed to end up in the hands of insurgents.
Source: Robert F. Worth and James Glanz, ” Oil Graft Fuels the Insurgency, Iraq and U.S. Say,” New York Times, February 5, 2006.
100,000 barrels of oil sold everyday by smugglers in Nigeria
Source: AFP, ” Nigeria military seize 12 oil trucks used for smuggling crude oil,” Google News, October 1, 2007.
$4 billion worth of gas smuggled out of Iraq in 2005
Source: Associated Press, ” U.S. Troops Crack Down on Fuel Smuggling.” Yahoo! News, May 9, 2006.
$23 million of diamonds smuggled out of Ivory Coast each year
Source: Partnership Africa Canada, “Killing Kimberley? Conflict Diamonds and Paper Tigers”, The Diamonds and Human Security Project, Revised Edition, November 2006,pg.5,(accessed: November 13, 2006).
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