By interviewing 53 individuals with knowledge of fishing boat smuggling routes and the wildlife trade – particularly in tiger parts – between Malaysia and Vietnam, a 2025 study uncovered a convergence between illegal wildlife trafficking and other criminal activities in the South China Sea, particularly involving fishing vessels. These boats serve dual purposes: conducting illegal fishing while simultaneously transporting people and wildlife products between countries. The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency has seized thousands of boats carrying contraband valued at over $150 million USD since its establishment in 2019. Meanwhile, Vietnam has deployed fisheries control boats to patrol maritime borders and implemented the Boat Monitoring System to track vessel movement. Despite these efforts, the economic challenges facing the fishing sector in countries like Malaysia and Vietnam, combined with poor regulation of migrant worker employment, continue to create conditions favourable for trafficking both people and wildlife.