American researchers are calling for the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Committee to ban transshipping.
The Pew Charitable Trusts says tens of millions of dollars each year is being lost to the practice of offloading catch before it reaches its final destination.
A group of researchers found dozens of vessels from a 2016 survey were likely carrying out unauthorised transshipment in the Pacific.
The Pew Charitable Trusts team says the commission needs to introduce stronger monitoring processes, including manditory fishing observers.
Lead author Mark Young explained the study's findings to Mackenzie Smith.
An illegal transshipment is seen taking place on board the ship 'Heng Xing 1' in an area of international waters near the exclusive economic zone of Indonesia. Photo: Shannon Service / Greenpeace
