IUU fishing is often connected to other illegal practices and crimes, which are frequently of a transnational and organized nature. More specifically, operators of IUU vessels are known to disregard poor labour conditions, promote human trafficking and the smuggling of drugs and firearms, commit fraud, and evade taxation and customs duties. In this regard, active cooperation among international organizations with the mandate to tackle such activities is vital.

The GFCM has been pursuing cooperation with the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crimes (UNODC), the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the International Labour Organization (ILO), aiming to devise a strategy to address all illegal practices in the fisheries sector.