Research updates

8 September 2026 — Regional expansion

The collection grew from 18 to 31 case/context files, from 38 to 74 sources and from 29 to 51 selected actors. It now includes 16 documented relationships, six English/Spanish country hubs and six complete Spanish lead files. These are different units, not counts of offenders.

Thirteen new files

Zhen Fa 7: from crew-abuse reporting to a U.S. import hold — Import order + reported abuse.
Hong Pu 16: the seizure, the cargo and the money collected — Administrative sanction and payment.
Lu Rong Yuan Yu 668: a pursuit followed by a negotiated return — Administrative sanction and payment.
Run Da 608: a squid seizure becomes a criminal trial — Seizure; prosecution referred to trial.
Tai An: juvenile toothfish, disputed gear records and mismatched labels — Scientific findings; criminal investigation.
Shark fins in the mail: the Yuelin Gan Cao conviction — Conviction reported by prosecutors.
Two containers from Ecuador, 26 tonnes of suspected protected shark fins — Customs seizures; outcome unresolved.
The drying house behind a totoaba border seizure — Federal sentencing.
Promised factory jobs, placed aboard a fishing vessel — Survivor accounts; police investigation.
One fishing trip, three country-coded AIS identities — Tracking-based identity analysis.
When China instructed two vessels to refuse inspection — Documented state instruction; disputed compliance.
Damanzaihao: support services, changing owners and a later delisting — Historical IUU listing; delisted in 2020.
Imported crab repacked as American: the Casey’s Seafood case — Federal conviction and sentencing.

What the follow-up changed

Argentine parliamentary records add payment outcomes to the Hong Pu 16 and Lu Rong Yuan Yu 668 seizures.
The Zhen Fa 7 file now includes CBP’s 28 May 2025 import order, alongside reporting and the operator’s response.
Damanzaihao’s 2020 removal from SPRFMO’s IUU list appears with its historical listing, ownership change and port-service record.
The 2022 boarding refusals include China’s explanation and the Commission’s decision not to adopt a final adverse listing.
Source S06’s limitation was updated to point to the later Kaven sentencing record, S35.

Conflicts retained, not hidden

Hong Pu 16’s initial and later official cargo weights differ. Run Da 608’s requested penalty is not displayed as a sentence. The original Casey sentencing bulletin supports 45 months; a later inconsistent summary is not used to overwrite it. Broadcast country codes are not treated as verified flag registrations.

Still open

Final trial records, compensation collected, dated beneficial ownership and cargo-to-buyer links remain priorities. A source review date does not certify that every historical restriction is still in force. No original witness interviews or company outreach were conducted for this release.

Country briefings

Download the expanded research handoff →

8 September 2026 — Initial collection and artwork

The initial release introduced source-linked case files, an OFAC vessel snapshot, actor profiles, methods and public downloads. Its 18 original story illustrations were followed by 13 additional illustrations for this expansion. Images are labeled and are not evidence of the events described.

For a correction with a public supporting record, contact support@oceanaccountability.com.

Research updates.