Abstract

Sustainable fisheries are often undermined by illegal, unreported and, in some cases, unregulated fishing (collectively, IUU fishing). As such, it is critical to ensure that current research effectively informs practical fisheries management interventions. We conducted an exploratory scoping review of 509 scholarly articles to assess general trends related to how IUU fishing is framed and distributed in the literature, identifying prevailing narratives that may influence governance. Research on the topic of IUU fishing has increased over time, although geographic distributions in terms of study locations and lead authorship do not necessarily align with global hotspots and priorities. While most location-specific studies include at least one author affiliated with an institution from the region being studied, a bias remains towards first authors from high-income countries. Moreover, while there is a justified focus on the Western Pacific Ocean, other vulnerable regions, such as the West Indian Ocean, remain comparatively underrepresented. Contrary to the assumption of a social science deficit in marine conservation, over half of the articles categorised applied a primarily social science lens; however, coverage from the behavioural sciences was limited. A subset analysis revealed a strong emphasis on large-scale illegal fishing, with frequent conceptual blurring across fishery scales and IUU components. These patterns suggest a high-level and often ambiguous framing of IUU fishing, which may risk oversimplifying complex issues and diluting context-specific nuances. We recommend a shift towards more grounded and solutions-oriented research, with more focus on unreported and unregulated fishing, particularly in small-scale contexts and underrepresented locations.