Eastern Pacific Ocean

Unsustainable Fishing and Aquaculture

The sustainability of key fisheries is threatened by illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing across the seascape, including mahi mahi, squid, and tuna. Illegal fishing fuels geopolitical and maritime conflicts over resources. Certain fishing practices can also result in bycatch of vulnerable marine species including leatherback and green sea turtles, sharks, rays, seabirds, and marine mammals. Meanwhile, the expansion of unsustainable shrimp aquaculture operations into mangrove forests, critical to climate mitigation and coastal protection, has led to significant mangrove loss in Mexico, Colombia, and Ecuador.

Ghost gear and plastic pollution

Millions of tons of plastics enter marine habitats in the region every year, endangering marine species and ecosystems. Major sources include improper waste management, industrial production from vessels and ports, tourism, and fishing-related waste especially “ghost gear” (abandoned, lost, or discarded fishing gear). Ghost gear can damage vulnerable habitats and can kill or entangle marine animals. In the Galápagos, one-third of marine species are at risk from entanglement or ingestion of plastics, while in mainland Ecuador, piracy is a leading cause of abandoned fishing gear.

Lack of management and financing

In Eastern Pacific Seascape countries, ineffective and inequitable management of protected and conserved areas has resulted in “paper parks” that offer little protection for critical ecosystems. Additionally, inadequate consultations with Indigenous peoples and local communities, combined with insufficient enforcement capacity, undermines protected areas, jeopardizes the livelihoods of coastal communities dependent on marine resources, and can create opportunities for corruption. Sustained funding is vital for strong, long-term management of protected areas and the currently limited resources available to support management worsens these issues.

Social Inequities

The safety, well-being, and cultural traditions of many communities, particularly Indigenous groups, are jeopardized by overfishing, climate change, and habitat destruction. While fisheries and aquaculture bring prosperity to the region, various social, political, or educational barriers often limits who benefits. For example, women may face restricted opportunities due to limited access to financial services and gender norms that constrains their ability to grow fishery enterprises and limiting independence. Although many regional fisheries are not considered high-risk, labor abuses including sexual harassment, unfair wages, and violence against anti-IUU observers on fishing vessels, are common.

Maritime Crime

High poverty rates can drive people toward illegal activities as a means of survival, particularly in coastal communities with limited livelihoods beyond fishing or tourism. The convergence of poverty, corruption, and weak governance creates an enabling environment for maritime crime, including drug trafficking, illegal fishing, and piracy, and is prevalent in the Eastern Pacific. Criminal organizations exploit these vulnerabilities to build transboundary illicit networks.