Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing may occur on the high seas or within a national jurisdiction. Several factors were identified as contributing to the occurrence of IUU fishing activities, among which is poor governance marked by limited and overlapping enforcement by related authorities. With very limited regional enforcement bodies and the absence of a regional multilateral agreement, IUU fishing is difficult to overcome. It means that issues relating to overfishing and other fishing conflicts like foreign vessels intrusions and use of illegal fishing methods will continue to be a problem. This paper identifies the Malaysia’s legal framework governing IUU fishing, as well as relevant international and regional laws and policies. The paper also discusses the devastating effects of IUU fishing to the global fish stocks and national economy. Although the existing framework is considered comprehensive, it recommends further stringent and fair law enforcement to combat IUU fishing in Malaysia’s waters.

1. Introduction
2. Principal Factors Contributing to IUU Fishing
3. Major Impacts of IUU Fishing
4. IUU Fishing in Malaysia
5. Combatting IUU Fishing: International and RegionalEfforts
6. Combatting IUU Fishing in Malaysia: Domestic LegalFramework
7. Conclusion

• Farahdilah Ghazali(Institute of Oceanography and Environment, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu)
• Wan Izatul Talaat(Oceanography and Environment, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu)
• Ashraf Rahman(Institute of Oceanography and Environment, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu)
• Hazmi Rusli(Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia)