TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — For the first time, Taiwan has been listed by the U.S. as an illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and bycatch country.

Taiwan is listed as one of the seven IUU fishing and 29 bycatch countries or regions in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) latest biannual report titled “Improving International Fisheries Management.” Joining Taiwan on the list are Costa Rica, Guyana, China, Russia, Senegal, and Mexico.

Based on NGO investigations, the U.S. government held that several Taiwanese fishing boats had violated protective measures laid out by three regional fishery management organizations and conducted illegal fishing in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, UDN reported. These boats were cited for allegedly violating reshipment regulations and shark protection measures.

With regard to the IUU countries, the U.S. government will negotiate with them for improvements in the next two years. If progress is not made, the U.S. might resort to sanctions, such as restricted docking access for fishing boats at U.S. ports, in addition to relevant trade restrictions.

Greenpeace said that South Korea was listed as an IUU fishing country by the NOAA in 2019, but the country amended laws and stepped up enforcement, while it revoked the licenses of bad actors in the industry or forced them to decommission their boats. The country has since been removed from the list, CNA reported.

Greenpeace urged Taiwan to strengthen maritime supervision, improve law enforcement, and better manage seafood companies, which wield much influence over the fishing industry.