The seafood industry plays an essential role in promoting food security, employment, and a healthy economy worldwide. However, there may be a linkage between illegal fishing activities and transnational organized crime-such as human and drug trafficking, illegal fishing, and other forms of criminal activity.

This study found linkages between fishing vessels engaged in illegal fishing activities -marine living resource crimes- and trafficking persons for forced labor on board fishing vessels, drug trafficking, and other forms of transnational organized crimes.