Leveraging service providers to improve distant-water fisheries governance

Distant-water fishing (DWF) fleets pose unique governance challenges, often evading accountability across jurisdictions. They rely on extensive networks of actors that support their operations and are comparatively fixed in geography and jurisdiction. Targeting these service providers offers underutilised policy opportunities to counter multi-jurisdictional strategies. We call for their integration into policy and research agendas, reframing accountability and strengthening governance by extending enforcement toward the global service hubs that sustain DWF.