The impacts of illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing are daily realities for the Asia-Pacific region, manifesting in environmental, economic, human welfare, and political challenges. These challenges impact not only regional governments, the private sector, and members of the general population—but also have far-reaching global consequences such as compromised food stocks, threatened national economies, challenged maritime security environments, and critical human rights concerns. In response to these challenges, the United States Agency for International Development’s Oceans and Fisheries Partnership (USAID Oceans) was launched on May 14, 2015. Tetra Tech was awarded the program by the USAID Regional Development Mission for Asia (USAID/RDMA)—a five-year, USD $19.95 million regional program.

Since its launch, USAID Oceans has worked in partnership with the Southeast Asia Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC) and the Coral Triangle Initiative for Coral Reefs, Fisheries, and Food Security (CTI-CFF) with the explicit goals of combating IUU fishing in Southeast Asia, strengthening the region’s capacity to promote sustainable fisheries and enhance marine biodiversity conservation, and address human welfare and gender equity concerns within the international seafood trade. July 2020 marks the completion of the program’s fifth and final year, inclusive of a 1.5 month no-cost extension to the original 13 May 2020 end date. This Year Five Annual Progress Report provides an overview of the program and its accomplishments during the 2020 Fiscal Year, covering the period of 01 October 2019 through 30 June 2020 (i.e., the revised project end date). The structure of the report reflects the approach that the program has adopted for its strategic planning and implementation, geo-organized according to level of engagement and support (i.e., regional, learning site countries, and expansion countries).

USAID Oceans and Fisheries Partnership. (2020). Annual Progress Report.